Norway’s Støre says Putin call put European views on Ukraine directly to Moscow
Norway’s prime minister said he and Finland’s president wanted Vladimir Putin to hear their position directly, including proposals to reduce attacks and exchange prisoners.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on 28 October that his call the previous day with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Finnish President Alexander Stubb was intended to put European views on the Ukraine war directly to Moscow, according to Reuters. The explanation came as Ukrainian and Russian officials were expected to meet in Abu Dhabi the following month.
Støre told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that he did not expect Putin to change his mind, but wanted him to hear the two leaders’ position clearly, Reuters reported. He said he worried some messages might not reach Putin when Americans spoke to him. His account adds the purpose and proposed measures to NewsJaws’ earlier report on the call and immediate reactions.
Measures Norway wanted to discuss
Støre said Norway wanted steps to reduce the fighting: stopping attacks on energy infrastructure in both Ukraine and Russia, halting strikes on ships exporting Ukrainian grain, and exchanging prisoners of war. Reuters said the three-way call lasted 90 minutes. The BBC reported that Støre acknowledged substantial differences with Putin, and neither side suggested the conversation had moved the war closer to an end.
Asked whether peace was possible without Ukraine ceding territory, Støre said Russia controlled nearly 20% of Ukrainian territory and that Ukraine would never sign a deal recognising territorial loss. He distinguished that from treating the current front line as a starting point for talks. He said security guarantees for Ukraine after any peace agreement were a central question.
Ukraine’s briefing and European reaction
Stubb said the call had been prepared in consultation with Ukraine and the United States, following a meeting in Oslo the previous week with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US envoy Steve Witkoff, the BBC reported. Zelensky said the Nordic leaders briefed him afterward and thanked them for their support. Støre and Stubb said they spoke for their own countries, rather than on behalf of other European leaders.
The BBC reported that the Kremlin said Putin had insisted Russia’s interests be considered in any lasting peace. Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson criticised the initiative, saying Europe should act together. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the call offered nothing new on Ukraine and portrayed European countries as seeking a role in negotiations, according to Reuters.
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Sources and context
- Norway's premier says call with Putin was effort to present European viewsReuters, republished by The Straits Times
- Norway and Finland hold rare call with Putin to discuss ending warBBC News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.