Norwegian prime minister denies Putin lectured him and Finnish president on medieval Slavs during call

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre vehemently denied a Financial Times report suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin lectured him and his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, on medieval Slavic history during a recent call. Støre clarified the incident in an interview with the Norwegian newspaper VG. When VG sought comment from the Financial Times, the paper maintained its stance, stating it would not make any changes to its reporting.

The Financial Times had initially reported that Putin provided a detailed history lesson on the Slavs during a call on October 27, largely discussing what the Kremlin identifies as the "initial reasons for the conflict" instead of addressing pressing questions about the ongoing war in Ukraine. Støre later clarified his initial statement on the NRK program Politisk kvarter, claiming that Putin primarily discussed European affairs following 2014.

This tactic of shifting the conversation to unrelated topics is not new to Putin, as evidenced by his lengthy historical detours during other conversations, including a 2024 interview with Tucker Carlson and a 2023 meeting with then-President Donald Trump. Meduza, the news outlet behind this report, maintains an unwavering commitment to transparency regarding its utilization of artificial intelligence in the newsroom.

The story was penned by a human journalist and translated from Russian using an AI model, with rigorous editorial review before publication. For those interested in Meduza’s exclusive English-language content, subscription to the newsletter is encouraged.