Norway's PM disputes FT report that Putin lectured Nordic leaders on Slavic history during call

In brief

• Norway's prime minister rejects a Financial Times report that Putin lectured him and Finland's president on Slavic history during a phone call.
• Støre says the call lasted about 90 minutes, with time shared roughly equally, and has asked the FT to correct its story.
• The Kremlin described the call as covering the root causes of the war and stability in northern Europe.

Oslo disputes account of Putin call

Norway's prime minister has rejected a Financial Times report that Vladimir Putin spent most of a recent phone call with him and Finnish President Alexander Stubb lecturing on medieval Slavic history. Støre told Norwegian broadcaster TV 2 the account was untrue and that Norway had asked the paper to correct it (Прем'єр Норвегії спростував повідомлення FT про «лекцію» Путіна: видання відмовилося виправляти статтю – Suspilne) (Стьоре про розмову з Путіним: Це не була "лекція", ми теж виклали свої позиції – Українська правда) («Лекцій про слов’ян не було»: Норвегія спростовує скандальну статтю FT про розмову з Путіним – TSN). The FT has not agreed to a correction, according to reports.

What the FT reported

The FT, citing three people familiar with the conversation, said Putin used much of the call to set out what the Kremlin calls the "root causes" of the conflict with Ukraine, while an immediate ceasefire was barely discussed (ЗМІ: Путін читав "лекцію з історії" лідерам Норвегії та Фінляндії під час розмови – Європейська правда) (Путін півтори години читав "лекцію з історії" під час розмови з лідерами Норвегії та Фінляндії – Українська правда). One source said the leaders chose not to interrupt Putin's historical digressions in order to gauge how serious he was about dialogue with Europe.

Støre's account

Støre said the call lasted about an hour and a half, with interpretation taking up part of that time, and that the two sides spoke for roughly equal amounts of time (Прем’єр Норвегії попросив Financial Times виправити статтю про розмову з Путіним – Європейська правда). He said Putin asked to present his version of the situation and reviewed events from 2014 to the present, but that the claim of a lecture on Slavic history was false. Støre added that Norway and Finland had set out their own positions and asked for responses.

Goals of the call

Støre said the leaders aimed to explore de-escalation steps, including halting attacks on energy infrastructure, stopping strikes on ships carrying Ukrainian grain, and arranging a prisoner exchange (Прем’єр Норвегії став на захист розмови з Путіним, хоч той не змінив своєї думки щодо війни – Українська правда). He also said he did not expect Putin to change his position, but that he wanted Putin to hear European views directly.

Kremlin readout

The Kremlin's account, carried by Russian media, said Putin raised the "root causes" of the war and argued that a fair long-term peace requires full account of Russia's legitimate interests. The readout also said the leaders discussed security and stability in the Baltic Sea and northern Europe, and agreed to keep direct phone contact (Кремль: Путін говорив зі Стуббом і Стьоре про "першопричини" війни і стабільність північної Європи – Українська правда).

Reactions

Zelensky said Stubb and Støre had clearly told Putin that real de-escalation steps were needed on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.