The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin told the leaders of Finland and Norway on Tuesday that the European Union and NATO are prolonging the war in Ukraine through what it described as a “confrontational” policy, after the two Nordic leaders initiated a joint telephone call with him.
According to the Kremlin readout, as reported by AFP and other outlets, “attention was drawn to the confrontational policy of the EU and NATO countries, which is leading to a protraction of hostilities.” The wording is the Kremlin’s characterisation of the discussion, not an independently verified transcript of Putin’s words, and it should be read alongside the Nordic leaders’ own account of the same call.
A joint call initiated by Helsinki and Oslo
The Office of the President of Finland said President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre made the phone call with Putin on Tuesday 27 October from Helsinki. The Finnish presidency said Stubb and Støre initiated the call to discuss Russia’s war against Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end it, and that the call was held in consultation with Ukraine.
Stubb described the discussion as “frank and substantive,” saying: “We are neighbouring countries to Russia. The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions.” Støre said the leaders stressed de-escalation, adding: “The war comes with enormous human and material costs. The suffering and destruction will impact generations.”
Both leaders said Finland and Norway will continue their longstanding support for Ukraine, and that the war must end and negotiations resume. The Finnish presidency stressed that Stubb and Støre spoke as leaders of their own countries and did not speak on behalf of Europe as a whole.
Why the call happened now
The Finnish presidency said the call was a follow-up to a meeting in Oslo on 20 October and was related to upcoming meetings to be held in Abu Dhabi. Reuters reported that Stubb and Støre had met US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo last week, a day before Witkoff met Putin in St. Petersburg.
Reuters also reported that the Kremlin said after the Putin-Witkoff talks that Russia was willing to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine in November. The Kremlin readout of Tuesday’s call, as reported, welcomed trilateral Russia-Ukraine-US talks in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November, and said the leaders agreed to continue direct telephone contact.
Direct contact between Western European leaders and Putin has been rare since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which is part of why a call initiated by two NATO-member neighbours drew attention. Finland joined NATO in April 2023, abandoning decades of military non-alignment after the invasion; Norway has been a founding NATO member since 1949 and shares a land border with Russia in the Arctic.
What is confirmed, and what is only claimed
Confirmed: a joint call took place on 27 October 2026, initiated by Stubb and Støre, from Helsinki, in consultation with Ukraine, and connected to the Oslo and Abu Dhabi diplomatic tracks. Both sides published accounts of it the same day.
Claimed, not independently verified: the Kremlin’s argument that EU and NATO policy is in fact prolonging hostilities, and its framing that a lasting peace requires full consideration of what it calls Russia’s legitimate interests. Western governments have repeatedly rejected that framing, arguing that Russia’s invasion caused the war and that military support for Ukraine is defensive. Readers should treat the Kremlin’s characterisation as one side’s account of the conversation, not as an established fact about why the war continues.
It is also worth noting what the call did not produce: neither side announced a ceasefire, a meeting date, or any agreement on territory or security guarantees. The concrete outcomes reported were continued direct contact and the link to the Abu Dhabi talks.
Why it matters
For Ukraine and its supporters, the significance lies less in the Kremlin’s rhetoric — which echoes long-standing Russian complaints about NATO and the EU — than in the channel itself: two of Russia’s Nordic neighbours, both firm supporters of Ukraine, chose direct discussion with Putin while insisting negotiations must resume and the war must end. For Russia, the call offers a platform to present its case against EU and NATO policy directly to European leaders. Whether the Abu Dhabi meetings turn that channel into substantive talks remains unproven.
Related coverage on Emadan: Russia Halts Kherson Strikes as Oleshky Ceasefire Begins; UN Panel: Russia Energy Attacks Are Crimes Against Humanity; Witkoff Heads to St. Petersburg With Ukraine Peace Package.
Frequently asked questions
Who initiated the call with Putin? Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre initiated the joint call, according to the Finnish presidency. It was not a call placed by Putin to them.
What exactly did the Kremlin say about the EU and NATO? The Kremlin readout, as reported, said “attention was drawn to the confrontational policy of the EU and NATO countries, which is leading to a protraction of hostilities.” That is the Kremlin’s characterisation, not a verified verbatim transcript.
Did the call produce a ceasefire or peace deal? No. No ceasefire, meeting date, or agreement was announced. The reported outcomes were continued direct contact and a link to upcoming Abu Dhabi talks.
Sources
- Office of the President of the Republic of Finland, Press release 66/2026, 27 October 2026 — https://www.presidentti.fi/en/president-stubb-and-prime-minister-store-held-a-phone-call-with-president-putin/
- Reuters, “Norway’s prime minister, Finland’s president in phone call with Putin”, 27 October 2026 — https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/norways-prime-minister-finlands-president-phone-call-with-putin-2026-10-27/
- Yeni Safak (AFP reporting), “Putin says EU, NATO ‘confrontational’ policy dragging out Ukraine war”, 27 October 2026 — https://en.yenisafak.com/world/putin-says-eu-nato-confrontational-policy-dragging-out-ukraine-war-3724878
- ANews (Anadolu), “Putin discusses Ukraine settlement with Finnish counterpart, Norwegian premier”, 27 October 2026 — https://www.anews.com.tr/diplomacy/2026/10/27/putin-discusses-ukraine-settlement-with-finnish-counterpart-norwegian-premier
- APA, “Kremlin confirms Putin held phone talks with Finnish and Norwegian leaders”, 27 October 2026 — https://en.apa.az/cis-countries/kremlin-confirms-putin-held-phone-talks-with-finnish-and-norwegian-leaders-updated-532464
