Finnish and Norwegian leaders phone Putin to press for an end to the war in Ukraine

Helsinki, Finland. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and urged him to end the war in Ukraine. The call departs from the long-standing approach of Western European leaders, who have mostly avoided direct contact with the Kremlin.

Context of the call

The call was an attempt to influence the diplomatic process. It came as US President Donald Trump has moved towards a position more favourable to Russia, and as relations between Washington and Ukraine have fallen to their lowest point in 18 months. After speaking with Putin, the two Nordic leaders also phoned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to one of his aides.

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Statements from Finland and Norway

In a joint statement with Stoere, Stubb described the conversation with Putin as frank and substantive. He noted that Finland and Norway border Russia and that the outcome of the war will directly affect their security and that of Europe more broadly. Stubb said: “Ending the war requires direct discussions.”

Stoere said the conflict carries huge human and material costs, and that its suffering and destruction will affect future generations. He said the two leaders had stressed the importance of de-escalation during the call. Both men underlined their strong backing for Ukraine and said it would continue.

Kremlin response

The Kremlin’s account of the call gave no sign that Putin had shifted from the positions he has stated before. It said the discussion emphasised that a lasting and just peace can be achieved only if Russia’s legitimate interests are fully and unconditionally taken into account. It added that attention was drawn to what it called confrontational policies of EU and NATO countries, which it said are helping to prolong the hostilities.

Background

Since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022, Western European leaders have largely avoided contact with Putin while imposing a growing number of sanctions on Moscow.