Fastrack · Finland and Norway Hold Direct Talks With Putin, Drawing Denmark's Criticism

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a joint phone call with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. They placed the call from Helsinki to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

90 minutes: the call's length, per one report.
Stubb and Støre said they consulted Ukraine before the call.
Both leaders said they spoke for their own countries, not Europe.
The Kremlin said all three agreed to keep direct phone contact.

Why it matters: European leaders want a seat at US-led peace talks, and this was the first direct contact in over a year. Stubb said the war's outcome will directly affect Finnish, Norwegian and broader European security.

Putin's side said EU and NATO policies are prolonging the fighting.
Zelensky said the leaders pressed Putin on Ukraine's energy and infrastructure.

The story so far

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Oct 27Finland and Norway Hold Direct Talks With Putin, Drawing Denmark's CriticismYou are hereLatest

How 12 sources split on this story

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12 sources · 20 articles · 50% Right coverage

Where they split: The dispute is whether two neighbors of Russia should open direct talks with Putin without coordinating with European allies.

Center coverage, 3 sources: The center frames it as a rare diplomatic contact that drew public criticism from Denmark over a lack of coordination.

BBC News19hNorway and Finland hold rare call with Putin to discuss ending war Deutsche Welle19hDenmark's Frederiksen criticizes Finland and Norway for calling Putin without coordinating with allies The Hill17hDenmark, Estonia express skepticism over Finland and Norway’s call with Putin

Left coverage, 3 sources: The left frames the call as Stubb defending direct talks against European skepticism, set amid continued Russian strikes on Kyiv.

The Independent2hRussia-Ukraine war: Europe furious after Finland and Norway break convention by speaking directly to Putin HuffPost22hLeaders Of Norway, Finland Hold Rare Call With Vladimir Putin The New York Times14hEuropean Leaders Split Over Phone Call to Putin

Right coverage, 6 sources: The right frames it as a divisive move that angered European allies, with the official readout criticized as thin on substance.

Daily Mail19hEuropean fury after Finland and Norway's leaders hold direct talks with Putin about ending Ukraine war Conservative Treehouse17hRussian Readout: President Vladimir Putin Holds Phone Call with President of Finland Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Störe - The Last Refuge The Epoch Times1dFinland and Norway Held ‘Frank and Substantive’ Phone Call With Putin, Finnish President Says The Sun11hPutin ‘rants about medieval history in bizarre call to European leaders’ as tyrant demands Donbas from Ukraine Washington Examiner16hNorway and Finland phone Putin directly to urge breakthroughs at trilateral talks ZeroHedge1hNordic Leaders Hold Rare Putin Call, Suddenly Eager For Say In Ukraine Peace Talks

What’s next: Trilateral talks among Ukraine, Russia and the US are planned in Abu Dhabi in November. Finland's statement said the call aimed to relay Ukraine's messages on those talks.

A local ceasefire in occupied Oleshky runs until November 1, per Ukraine's top negotiator.
Will other European governments back or join the Finnish-Norwegian channel?
Will the call give Europe any formal role in the Abu Dhabi talks?