Norway, Finland leaders hold ‘frank’ talk with Putin on ending Ukraine war

Finland’s president and Norway’s prime minister held a “frank and substantive” discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday about efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the Nordic leaders said.

“The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions,” President Alexander Stubb said in a joint statement with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

The statement noted that the phone call had been “held in consultation with Ukraine” and followed a meeting in Oslo on October 20 between Store, Stubb and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as US envoy Steve Witkoff.