In a continued effort to address the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre engaged in separate phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday. These discussions come ahead of planned peace talks scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi in early November.
According to Stubb’s office, the conversation with Putin was centered around these upcoming meetings, which are expected to involve Ukrainian, Russian, and US negotiators. Stubb characterized his dialogue with Putin as frank and substantive, emphasizing the significance of the war’s outcome on Finland’s security and the broader European region. He noted that resolving the conflict would necessitate direct discussions.
Following the exchange with Putin, Zelenskyy’s aide confirmed that the Ukrainian leader also spoke with both Stubb and Støre. The Nordic leaders reiterated their countries’ ongoing support for Ukraine but clarified that their discussions did not represent a collective stance on behalf of all European nations.
The talks between Stubb, Støre, and the respective parties follow recent diplomatic engagements involving US special envoy Steve Witkoff. These included meetings with Zelenskyy and the Nordic leaders in Oslo, as well as discussions between Witkoff and Putin in St Petersburg. The Kremlin has expressed willingness to resume US-mediated peace negotiations with Ukraine next month, potentially marking the first such discussions since February.