Finland's Stubb and Norway's Støre hold a rare call with Putin on Ukraine — Denmark's Frederiksen says it was not coordinated
Finland's President Alexander Stubb and Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke from Helsinki on Tuesday 27 October 2026 in a joint phone call with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, which their offices said was initiated by them, held in consultation with Ukraine, and aimed at conveying messages directly to Putin about future negotiations to end the war. The two called the discussion frank and substantive and stressed de-escalation and continued support for Ukraine. The Kremlin said a just and lasting peace is possible only if Russia's legitimate interests are fully taken into account. Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was very sceptical, that the call was not coordinated with the rest of Europe, and that Europe should stick together rather than going solo; Støre replied that all partners and allies were informed in advance.
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Key points
- Stubb and Støre initiated a joint call with Putin from Helsinki on 27 October, in consultation with Ukraine, ahead of the Abu Dhabi meetings.
- They called it frank and substantive, stressed de-escalation, and said their support for Ukraine continues; the call ran about 90 minutes.
- The Kremlin restated its condition — Russia's interests fully taken into account — with no sign of compromise in its readout.
- Denmark's Frederiksen called the initiative uncoordinated; Støre said allies were informed in advance.
What happened
Western European leaders have mostly shunned direct contact with Putin since the full-scale invasion of 2022, leaving the diplomacy largely to Washington. Finland and Norway both border Russia, and their leaders framed the call as neighbours speaking for themselves. The Abu Dhabi meetings the call fed into are the US–Ukraine–Russia track running this month.
Both sides, in their own words
Both sides heard. Neither believed for free. Publishing a side's version is not endorsing it — the claim checks below are where verdicts live.
Side A · Stubb and Støre
- The call was initiated by the two leaders, held in consultation with Ukraine as a follow-up to their 20 October Oslo meeting, to convey messages directly to Putin about future negotiations ahead of the Abu Dhabi meetings.
- The discussion was 'frank and substantive'; the war must end, negotiations must resume, de-escalation is urgent, and Finland and Norway's support for Ukraine continues. They spoke as their own countries' leaders, not for Europe as a whole.
Side B · The Kremlin
- A just and long-term peace is possible only if the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation are fully and unconditionally taken into account.
- The confrontational policies of EU and NATO countries are contributing to the prolongation of the hostilities.
Independently verified
Stubb and Støre made the call with Putin from Helsinki on Tuesday 27 October 2026. Their joint statement, published by Finland's presidential office and Norway's government in identical terms, says they initiated the call in consultation with Ukraine, as a follow-up to a meeting in Oslo on 20 October, to discuss Russia's war against Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts to end it, ahead of meetings to be held in Abu Dhabi. They emphasised that the war must end and negotiations resume, that their support for Ukraine continues, and that they took part as their own countries' leaders, not on behalf of Europe as a whole. Stubb called the discussion 'frank and substantive'; Støre stressed de-escalation. The call lasted about 90 minutes — it had been scheduled for 20, Støre said — and afterwards the two leaders spoke by phone to Ukraine's President Zelenskyy, according to a Zelenskyy aide. Støre said the call was closely coordinated with Zelenskyy. The Kremlin's readout, as reported by Reuters, said: 'It was emphasized that achieving a just and long-term peace is possible only if the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation are fully and unconditionally taken into account,' and drew attention to 'the confrontational policies of EU and NATO countries, which are contributing to the prolongation of the hostilities.' Reuters noted the readout did not suggest Putin had signalled any compromise from previously stated positions. Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticised the call in its own terms: 'I'm very sceptical about this Norwegian and Finnish initiative,' she told the Danish broadcaster DR while visiting Helsinki, saying it had not been coordinated 'with the rest of us' and that 'Europe should stick together rather than going solo.' She said she saw no signs that Russia wants peace. Støre responded that all partners and allies were informed in advance, telling NRK: 'In the four years since, the EU has not had a common message or a common approach,' and 'We do not speak on behalf of anyone other than ourselves.'Not yet verified
A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Putin told Stubb and Støre that Russia would not compromise over its aim to capture the whole of Ukraine's Donbas region, and that the Europeans responded that a 'just' peace is needed.Claim by claim
Why this label: The two offices' own joint statement, read in full on both official sites; Reuters' report of the call is in the same terms.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Støre's own account to Norway's NRK, carried by Rapporteur and Reuters' reporting of the post-call briefing with Zelenskyy; the duration is the prime minister's own figure.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The Kremlin's own readout in its own words, quoted by Reuters; the no-compromise reading is Reuters' assessment of that text, carried as such.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Show all claims (2 more)
Why this label: Frederiksen's words to DR as reported by Reuters and by Rapporteur; Støre's reply to NRK as reported by Rapporteur. The two coordination accounts — 'not coordinated' and 'informed in advance' — are both carried as the speakers' own words; they are not the same claim, and neither is presented here as a finding about the other.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: A single anonymous source speaking to Reuters; no official readout from any of the three offices carries this exchange, so it is labelled not yet verified.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- The call happened, on the two offices' own statement, with the Kremlin's readout and Denmark's criticism all on the record.
- No concession or agreement was announced by any side.
What we don't know yet
- What, if anything, the call changes in the Abu Dhabi talks — no outcome has been announced.
- Whether the three leaders' agreed direct telephone contact, reported from the Kremlin's side, produces a further call.
- Italy's Prime Minister Meloni was reported on 5 November to have criticised the call in a letter to the European Council president — that report rests on a single chain in the reporting read and is not carried as settled here.
Why it matters
The argument the call started is the story: whether Europe speaks to Moscow only with one voice, or whether a neighbour with a border at stake may open its own line. Both positions are now on the record from sitting prime ministers, and the Kremlin's answer — its conditions restated, unchanged — is on the record too.
Background
Stubb and Støre meet in Oslo with President Zelenskyy and US envoy Steve Witkoff on the peace process.
Stubb and Støre call Putin from Helsinki for about 90 minutes, then speak to Zelenskyy; Frederiksen criticises the initiative the same day.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
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Published in Checking state — checking continues, and claims are labelled as reporting develops. Basis: the Finnish and Norwegian offices' joint statement, the Kremlin's readout as reported by Reuters, and the Danish prime minister's criticism in her own words.