EU was informed ahead of Finnish and Norwegian leaders' phone call with Putin

The European Commission received advance notice of a phone conversation between Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a spokesperson for the EU. The call, which took place on October 28, served as a follow-up to a previous meeting in Oslo on October 20.

A key objective of the discussion was to ensure a consistent message when engaging with Putin, according to Paula Pinho, the EU spokesperson. Pinho further noted that the European Commission currently perceives Russia as having little interest in entering peace negotiations with Ukraine. When asked about European representatives potentially attending upcoming peace talks in Abu Dhabi, Pinho stated that no further information was available at this time.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously informed reporters on October 27 that Finland and Norway would brief national security advisers from other European nations on their conversation with Putin. This was the first direct contact between Putin and prominent European leaders who back Ukraine since a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron in July 2025.

The Financial Times, according to three sources, reported that Putin spent much of his conversation with Stubb and Støre discussing medieval Slavic history. Kremlin sources, according to Reuters, said Putin would not compromise on the situation in Donbas during the discussion with the Finnish president and Norwegian prime minister.