A rare direct line to the Kremlin has opened from the Nordics, as Finland’s president and Norway’s prime minister say they held what they called a “frank and substantive” phone discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ways to end the war in Ukraine.
“The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions,” Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in a joint statement issued with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
The two leaders said the call was “held in consultation with Ukraine” and came after talks in Oslo on 20 October involving Mr Store, Mr Stubb, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoy Steve Witkoff.
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined that Oslo meeting remotely.
After the Oslo discussions, Mr Witkoff travelled on to St Petersburg for talks with Mr Putin.
Speaking to reporters in Helsinki, where Nordic leaders are meeting, Mr Store said the 90-minute call had underscored “big differences in views” on Ukraine.
In its readout, the Kremlin said Mr Putin argued that what it described as the EU’s and NATO’s “confrontational policy” was “leading to a protraction of hostilities”.
The Kremlin added that the leaders had “agreed to continue maintaining direct contact by telephone”.
Mr Stubb and Mr Store said they initiated the conversation to discuss “efforts to end the war and promote peace and stability in Europe”.
“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,” Mr Store said.
Mr Stubb, for his part, repeated that the exchange with Mr Putin had been “frank and substantive”.
Vladimir Putin is due to meet US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg
Not long after news of the call emerged, Kyiv said Mr Zelensky had spoken with the Nordic leaders about their conversation with Mr Putin.
Mr Stubb confirmed he had briefed Mr Zelensky in a social media post, writing: “Finland and Norway will continue to support Ukraine, and the efforts to find a just and lasting peace.”
Both leaders emphasised they were speaking for their own countries rather than on behalf of Europe, but the move drew criticism from Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who said the outreach appeared to be taken “solo”.
“I’m very sceptical about this Norwegian and Finnish initiative. It hasn’t been coordinated with any of the rest of us,” she told reporters as she attended a meeting of Nordic leaders in Finland that also included Mr Store and Mr Stubb.
“I honestly don’t know what those two countries think they can achieve with this,” she said.
Mr Store pushed back on the objections.
“In the times we live in, it cannot be that only the US administration has a channel to talk to the Russian leadership. European countries must be able to do that as well,” he told reporters.
US-Ukraine strains
Diplomatic tensions between Ukraine and the United States have flared again after Mr Trump this month abruptly announced a deal with Russia for diesel, part of his bid to bring down oil prices that surged during his Iran war.
Ukraine reacted with dismay after Mr Trump also waived sanctions against Russia and appeared to again pivot toward Mr Putin.
The Oslo meeting took place amid intense diplomatic activity in Washington, Kyiv and other Western capitals aimed at easing the fallout.
Norway and Finland are both NATO members and share borders with Russia, and their statement stressed that the two countries remain “firm supporters of Ukraine”.
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Russia, Ukraine begin US-brokered Oleshky ceasefire
At the same time, Russia and Ukraine said they have begun a regional ceasefire designed to open the way for a humanitarian operation in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, though strikes have continued elsewhere, including in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
The truce is intended to allow aid deliveries and evacuations from the frontline town in southern Ukraine, where officials say there are acute shortages of food and medicine.
People in Kyiv hold placards with slogans during a rally in support of the residents of Oleshky
“As head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, I confirm that the Ukrainian side is honouring its commitments,” Dmytro Lubinets, the parliamentary commissioner for human rights, said in a Facebook post, confirming the timing of Russia’s halt.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Telegram that it stopped shelling in the direction of Ukraine’s city of Kherson from 4am Moscow time (1am Irish time) to prepare for the operation in Oleshky, which lies across the Dnipro River from Kherson.
Mr Lubinets said the arrangement was reached in coordination with US First Lady Melania Trump, working with Russia’s commissioner for human rights, Yana Lantratova.
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In Kyiv, officials said new strikes hit the Southern Bridge and subway infrastructure, forcing traffic to be suspended.
Oleshky sits on the eastern bank of the Dnipro in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, opposite the city of Kherson, which remains under Ukrainian control.
Russian forces have held Oleshky since capturing it in the opening days of their February 2022 invasion.
White House envoys have spoken with both sides in recent days as the US seeks to broker a peace agreement to end the conflict, Europe’s deadliest since World War II.
On Friday, Mr Zelensky said peace negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States had agreed to meet at a technical level in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi to continue the discussions.
A Russian missile attack on Kyiv killed at least one person and injured 15, including students in a dormitory, since yesterday evening. The attacks also killed and injured people in the cities of Kharkiv and Pavlohrad.
In a Telegram post, Russia’s defence ministry said it struck transport infrastructure in Kyiv, a logistics hub in the Kharkiv region, and industrial facilities and cargo vessels elsewhere that it said were being used for military purposes.
In Russia, a drone attack killed a man and wounded six people in the western city of Bryansk near the Ukrainian border.
Local officials also reported one death and 30 injuries after a drone hit a bus in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region.
Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians.
