Finnish president, Norwegian PM hold phone call with Putin on Ukraine conflict

HELSINKI - Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin from Helsinki on Tuesday to discuss the Ukraine conflict and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and promote peace and stability in Europe.

Stubb described the discussion as "frank and substantive," according to a press release from the Finnish President's Office.

The call, initiated by Stubb and Store, was held in consultation with Ukraine, and aimed to convey messages directly to Putin regarding future negotiations to end the conflict and was related to upcoming meetings in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the press release said.

During the call, Stubb and Store stressed the need to end the conflict and resume negotiations, while reaffirming their continued support for Ukraine.

Stubb said that Finland and Norway, both neighboring countries to Russia, would be directly affected by the outcome of the conflict, as would broader European security. "Ending the war requires direct discussions," he said.

Store said the conflict had caused enormous human and material costs, with suffering and destruction that would affect generations, stressing the importance of de-escalation.

The press release noted that Stubb and Store took the call as leaders of their respective countries and did not speak on behalf of Europe as a whole.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen questioned the move, describing it as "a dangerous step that divides Europe."

In an interview with Denmark's TV 2 on Tuesday, Frederiksen said the call "was not coordinated with the rest of us."

"I think we should maintain European unity rather than act alone," she said.

Stubb, Store and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks on Ukraine with US envoys in Oslo, Norway, on Oct 20. Tuesday's call was a follow-up to those talks.

Russia, Ukraine and the United States are reportedly planning to resume talks in the UAE in November. The negotiations have been stalled since the beginning of this year.