Kathrine Frich
Putin showed no sign of softening his stance.
Living next door to a difficult neighbour always requires a delicate touch.
For years, a chilly silence has hung over one of the world’s most sensitive borders, with leaders preferring to keep their distance.
Now, two heads of state have decided to pick up the phone and break the ice.
Breaking a long silence
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a rare phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the Daily Express reported.
It was the first known direct contact between the Nordic leaders and Moscow since shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
The two leaders set the plan in motion after meeting in Oslo on October 20. According to the Office of the President of Finland, they consulted Kyiv while preparing for the outreach, aiming to pass messages from Ukraine directly to the Kremlin ahead of upcoming peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
Both Nordic nations share a land border with Russia and have backed Ukraine throughout the war.
During the call, the pair made it clear they were speaking only for their own countries, not as envoys for the rest of Europe, while stressing that Oslo and Helsinki act predictably in the Baltic Sea and northern regions.
Frank words and red lines
Stubb described the conversation as “frank and substantive” in comments reported by the Daily Express. Geography gave the discussion an obvious urgency for both northern capitals.
Explaining the decision to reach out, Stubb said: “We are neighboring 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.”
Støre also pointed to the heavy toll of the fighting. He said: “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.”
Putin showed no sign of softening his stance. According to the Kremlin, the Russian leader claimed that NATO and the EU were dragging out the conflict and insisted any lasting deal must account for Moscow’s interests.
Meanwhile, a source close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Putin refused to budge on his goal of seizing the entire Donbas region.
Pushback from an ally
Right after hanging up with Moscow, Stubb and Støre called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to brief him on the exchange.
According to the Daily Express, Zelensky then called for practical steps to calm the conflict, especially around energy and infrastructure.
Not everyone in the region welcomed the solo diplomacy. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticised her Finnish and Norwegian counterparts for moving ahead without broader European coordination, arguing that the continent needs to stay united.
