Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre had a telephone conversation with Putin about ending the war in Ukraine.
This was reported by the Office of the Finnish President.
They noted that it was Stubb and Støre who initiated the conversation with Putin. Before the call, they consulted with Kyiv and were supposed to convey Ukraineʼs position on the eve of potential trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi.
Stubb called the conversation "frank and meaningful" and emphasized that the leaders did not speak on behalf of all of Europe, but "participated in the conversation as leaders of their countries".
Bloomberg notes that this is Putinʼs first conversation with European leaders since French President Emmanuel Macron called him last July.
Stubb and Støre stressed that Finland and Norway will continue to provide their long-standing support to Ukraine. They also stressed that the war must end and negotiations must resume.
UPD at 12:48 PM: After speaking with Putin, Stubb and Støre called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Alex and Jonas clearly told the Russian leader that real de-escalation steps are needed regarding our energy and infrastructure," Zelensky said.
Also, according to the president, the parties discussed the preparation of a trilateral meeting. Zelensky noted that Finland and Norway, as countries bordering Russia, have "a special interest in correct and reliable security solutions".
- A new round of trilateral talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia is planned to be held in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November. The Telegraph, citing diplomatic sources, previously wrote that Russia wants to involve European leaders in order to obtain concessions from NATO, in particular, a reduction in the Allianceʼs presence in Eastern Europe.
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