Finnish and Norwegian leaders call Putin, urge restart of peace talks

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a call on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, signalling Europe's increasing willingness to engage directly with Moscow to end the war in Ukraine.

The two leaders urged Putin to end the full-scale invasion and engage in meaningful negotiations to reach a stable, peaceful settlement.

"The discussion was frank and substantive. We are neighbouring countries of Russia. The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussion," Stubb said in a read-out.

"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," Støre said.

Norway and Finland are among the largest donors of military aid to Ukraine, a support the two leaders told Putin would continue unabated.

Security in the Baltic Sea region and the High North was also discussed.

According to the Kremlin, Putin told Stubb and Støre that "achieving a just, long-term peace is only possible with full and unconditional consideration of the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation", a wording that suggests maximalist demands.

The call was made at the initiative of the two Nordic leaders. Afterwards, they exchanged with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"Alex and Jonas made it clear to the Russian leader that real de-escalatory steps are needed regarding our energy and infrastructure," Zelenskyy said, thanking them for their "active" diplomatic support.

"Russia must stop dragging out the war."

The conversation was framed as a "follow-up" to the last round of peace talks in Oslo, which Stubb and Støre jointly organised. The meeting was attended by senior officials of Ukraine, the US, the UK, Germany, Italy, the European Commission and NATO.

Russia was not included, but US special envoy Steve Witkoff flew to St Petersburg to brief Putin on the outcome of the discussions.