Madar (International) - Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store held a rare direct phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, describing it as "frank and substantive", Al Jazeera English reported, citing Reuters and The Associated Press.
According to a statement from Stubb's office, the call was initiated from Helsinki "to discuss Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts to end the war and promote peace and stability in Europe". "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.
Store said the two leaders stressed the importance of de-escalation. They spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy afterwards, and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the call had been coordinated with Kyiv, calling it "the right approach".
The Kremlin downplayed the call, saying long-term peace was possible "only if the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation are fully and unconditionally taken into account" and criticising the "confrontational policies" of EU and NATO countries. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said European countries were merely seeking a role in future negotiations.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was "very sceptical", arguing that Europe "should stick together rather than going solo", while Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was cautious about the outcome of the 90-minute conversation.
On the ground, officials in Kyiv said an overnight attack involving 16 ballistic missiles and more than 280 drones hit the city's South Bridge, while Russia's Defence Ministry said it had targeted transport infrastructure in Kyiv. Kyiv and Moscow said on Friday they had agreed to hold US-mediated technical meetings in Abu Dhabi in early November.
