Finland and Norway leaders hold first Putin call in over four years, sparking Nordic split

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a ninety-minute telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. It was the first direct contact between Western leaders and Putin in more than four years. The call focused on the war in Ukraine, and both leaders stressed they spoke on their own behalf, not for Europe as a whole.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the initiative. Finnish parliamentary officials said they had been informed in advance about Stubb's call. Foreign Affairs Committee chair Johannes Koskinen said he learned about the conversation shortly before it took place, while Defence Committee chair Heikki Autto confirmed his committee had received prior information.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed strong skepticism. She said Norway and Finland had not coordinated with other allies and warned against giving Putin an opportunity he did not have hours earlier. Frederiksen stated that all want peace, but Russia does not appear to want it.

Finnish political scientist Sinikukka Saari said the public disagreement among Nordic leaders makes Europe look divided and uncoordinated. She argued this is exactly what Russia wants to see and could become a major advantage for Russian propaganda if the result is a European quarrel over whether the call should have happened.

Koskinen suggested the call followed a meeting in Oslo last week where Stubb and Støre met Zelensky and US special envoy Steve Witkoff. He said the goal may be to ensure Ukraine's position and red lines reach Witkoff and the United States accurately. Peace negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States are scheduled to meet in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November.

Officials did not say whether the call was arranged in Norway last week or which institution passed information to the committees. Koskinen and Autto declined to comment on how or from where the information was relayed, such as from the Foreign Ministry or the presidential chancellery.