Finland and Norway Leaders Contact Putin Over Ukraine, Face Danish Skepticism

In brief

• Finnish and Norwegian leaders spoke with Russian President Putin on October 27 to discuss the war in Ukraine.
• The Nordic leaders stated their initiative was coordinated with Ukraine and focused on diplomatic solutions.
• Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed doubt about the call's importance and called for European unity.
• The talks covered preparations for potential negotiations in Abu Dhabi in November.

Nordic Leaders Engage Moscow

The Finnish presidential office said the dialogue originated from the initiative of the two Nordic leaders and was coordinated with Ukraine (Przywódcy europejskich państw zadzwonili do Władimira Putina. "To wymaga rozmów" – Business Insider Polska) (Liderzy Finlandii i Norwegii rozmawiali z Putinem. Dania apeluje o europejską jedność – Bankier.pl).

Stated Objectives of the Dialogue

Finnish officials said the conversation was intended to address Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and explore diplomatic avenues to end the conflict and foster stability across Europe (President Stubb, Prime Minister Støre hold phone call with President Putin – Ukrinform). Both nations asserted that their participation reflected only their respective national interests, not those of Europe as a whole (Президент Финляндии и премьер Норвегии позвонили Путину по поводу Украины: что известно – Zerkalo). Representatives from both countries also said the discussion covered preparations for negotiations scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi in November (Przywódcy Finlandii i Norwegii rozmawiali z Putinem. "Jesteśmy sąsiadami" – Polsat News).

Context in Oslo

The phone call followed a gathering in Oslo on October 20, which included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Criticism from Copenhagen

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen voiced reservations about the significance of the phone call and called for a unified stance from Europe. She questioned the expected outcomes of the Nordic leaders' engagement (Co si od toho slibují? Dánská premiérka zkritizovala Finsko a Norsko kvůli telefonátu s Putinem – Novinky.cz). Margus Tsahkna, Estonia's foreign minister, confirmed receiving a briefing about the call (Estonian foreign minister briefed on Norway-Finland call with Putin – ERR News), while Lithuanian media reported that the event created tension among the Nordic countries (Po skambučio Putinui – įtampa tarp Šiaurės šalių: „Nesuprantu, ką jie tikisi pasiekti“ – LRT).

Read also

• Nordic Leaders Discuss War's End with Putin; Trilateral Talks Planned for November