HELSINKI, October 27 (Aalimi Nation) – The presidents and prime ministers of two European countries spoke directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, a rare contact at a time when most Western European leaders have avoided such calls since February 2022. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre took part, with Stubb joining from Helsinki.
What the leaders said
Stubb's office said the aim was to give Putin a direct message about upcoming negotiations on ending the war. The office described the exchange as frank and substantive. Stubb said Finland does not discuss Ukraine without Ukraine present, and that peace would not come "through silence". The call, which Finnish officials said lasted about an hour and a half, was held in consultation with Ukraine, they added.
Støre said the conversation showed big differences in views on Ukraine. Both leaders said they were speaking as heads of their own countries and not on behalf of Europe as a whole, and that their support for Ukraine would continue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said the two leaders had told Putin that real steps were needed to reduce attacks on Ukraine's energy facilities. He said preparations for the November talks were also discussed. Stubb said the war's outcome would directly affect the security of Finland, Norway and Europe, and that ending it required direct discussions.
The Kremlin's account
The Kremlin said Putin reiterated what it called the root causes of the conflict and blamed the policies of the European Union and NATO for prolonging hostilities. Moscow also said the sides agreed to keep in direct contact by telephone.
Talks planned for Abu Dhabi
The call came ahead of United States-mediated technical meetings between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators, which Kyiv and Moscow agreed on Friday and which are due in Abu Dhabi in early November. The leaders of Finland and Norway had met Zelenskyy and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo on October 20. The Kremlin has since said it is ready to resume US-mediated talks with Kyiv that had stalled since February.
Overnight attacks on Kyiv
Kyiv officials said Russia struck the Ukrainian capital overnight with 16 ballistic missiles and more than 280 drones, hitting transport infrastructure including the South Bridge. Zelenskyy said Russian forces struck again while emergency crews were still responding to the first attacks, calling it "a serious escalation in Russia's campaign targeting our logistics." Russia's Defence Ministry said it had targeted transport infrastructure in Kyiv, a logistics hub in the Kharkiv region, industrial sites and cargo vessels.
Ukrainian officials also reported people killed and injured in Kharkiv and Pavlohrad. Casualty figures come from the respective officials and have not been independently verified.
Local ceasefire in Kherson
Separately, a localised ceasefire took effect on Tuesday in the Kherson region to allow humanitarian aid into the Russian-held town of Oleshky, and Russia paused strikes on Kherson.
All eyes are now on the Abu Dhabi meetings in early November. Neither Moscow nor Kyiv has said what concessions, if any, it is prepared to make, and the fighting continues despite the diplomatic activity.
