By Essi Lehto
HELSINKI, Oct 27 (Reuters) – The leaders of Finland and Norway called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to urge him to end the war in Ukraine, breaking with a longstanding practice among Western European leaders of shunning direct contact with the Kremlin.
The phone call by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere was a bid to influence the diplomatic process at a time when US President Donald Trump has shifted his position in favour of Russia and US ties with Ukraine have hit their lowest point in 18 months.
The Nordic leaders spoke by phone to Putin and afterwards to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to a Zelenskiy aide.
“The discussion (with Putin) was frank and substantive. We are neighbouring countries to Russia. The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions,” Stubb said in a joint statement with Stoere.
The Norwegian added: “The war comes with enormous human and material costs. The suffering and destruction will impact generations. In the call we stressed the importance of de-escalation.”
Both leaders stressed their strong support for Ukraine, which they said would continue.
NO SIGN OF COMPROMISE FROM THE KREMLIN
The Kremlin’s readout of the call did not suggest that Putin had signalled any compromise from previously stated positions.
“It was emphasized that achieving a just and long-term peace is possible only if the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation are fully and unconditionally taken into account,” the Kremlin said.
“At the same time, attention was drawn to the confrontational policies of EU and NATO countries, which are contributing to the prolongation of the hostilities.”
Western European leaders have mostly shunned contact with Putin, while piling up sanctions on Moscow, since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022.
But that stance has left them sidelined as efforts to end the war have been led by Trump, who is seen in many EU capitals as unpredictable, erratic and prone to side with Putin at the expense of Ukraine.
That perception has been reinforced by deals this month in which Putin agreed to supply Russian diesel to the US and Trump eased sanctions on Russia while saying it was time for Ukrainians to replace Zelenskiy as their leader. Ukraine has also complained of disruption to intelligence-sharing by the US and to satellite internet services on which its military relies.
DANISH LEADER CRITICISES NORDIC PEERS FOR MAKING THE CALL
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticised the Finnish-Norwegian decision to talk to Putin, adding that she saw no signs that Russia wants peace.
“I think Europe should stick together rather than going solo,” Frederiksen told public broadcaster DR.
Stubb and Stoere participated in the call as leaders of their respective countries and did not speak on behalf of Europe as a whole, they said, adding that the two Nordic nations will continue their longstanding support for Ukraine.
Russia has frequently accused European governments of stoking the war by arming Ukraine and refusing direct talks.
It has contrasted the stance of Western European leaders with that of Trump, who has engaged with Putin and tried — so far without success — to broker a peace agreement.
A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters that French President Emmanuel Macron was the last EU leader to speak with Putin by phone. The call, which took place in July this year, was not made public and did not yield any results, according to the source.
The source said Putin told Stubb and Stoere that Russia would not compromise over its aim to capture the whole of Ukraine’s Donbas region. The Europeans responded by saying that a “just” peace is needed, this person said.
(Reporting by Essi Lehto; additional reporting by Darya Korsunskaya in London, writing by Mark Trevelyan; editing by Andrew Heavens)
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