Norway’s prime minister has defended his rare phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a day after the conversation drew public criticism from Denmark and scepticism from Sweden and exposed a split among the Nordic countries over how Europe should engage with Moscow.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK on Wednesday that he and Finnish President Alexander Stubb had wanted to make sure Putin heard European views as well as American ones, after the two leaders spoke to the Russian president for 90 minutes on Tuesday.
Støre defends the call
“We were focused on looking forward, what must happen for this war to not continue endlessly for months, with people dying, and it is even more difficult to find a solution,” Støre said. “I don’t think Putin will change his mind, but he gets to hear our position very clearly. I am worried that some of these messages do not reach him when the Americans talk to him,” he added.
Støre said Norway was keen to introduce de-escalation steps such as stopping attacks on energy infrastructure in Russia and Ukraine, halting strikes on ships exporting Ukrainian grain, and conducting prisoner-of-war exchanges. The call came ahead of expected face-to-face talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials in Abu Dhabi next month, the first since February.
Criticism from Copenhagen and Stockholm
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was the most outspoken critic. “I am very sceptical about this Norwegian and Finnish initiative. It was not coordinated with any of us,” she said, adding: “Honestly, I don’t know what these two countries think that they can achieve this way.” She stressed that Europe should stay united rather than go it alone.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who was in Helsinki for the Nordic Council’s annual session, said he had not been briefed immediately on the call and had low expectations for such talks, while stressing that everyone wanted peace. Stubb and Støre have emphasised that they spoke as leaders of their own countries, not on behalf of Europe as a whole, and that the call was arranged in consultation with Ukraine, which thanked them for their active support.
The territory question
Asked whether peace was possible without Ukraine ceding territory, Støre said Russia now controls nearly 20 percent of Ukrainian territory, and that Ukraine would never sign a deal recognising that loss, but that treating the current front line as a starting point was a different question. “And the big question is what kind of security guarantees can there be for the country after a peace deal? Putin recognises that this is the big question,” he said.
The Kremlin’s readout of the call gave no sign of compromise, saying a just and lasting peace was possible only if Russia’s interests were fully taken into account. The call was the first direct contact between Putin and Western European leaders since French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to him in July 2025.
FAKTA
- On 27 October, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine.
- On 28 October, Støre defended the call on NRK, saying it ensured Putin heard European as well as US views.
- Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticised the initiative as uncoordinated and called for European unity; Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson voiced scepticism.
- Støre proposed de-escalation steps including halting attacks on energy infrastructure and grain-export shipping and prisoner exchanges.
- The call came ahead of expected Russian-Ukrainian talks in Abu Dhabi in November, the first face-to-face meeting since February.
Conclusion
The row over the Putin call has turned a diplomatic initiative into a test of Nordic unity. Whether the conversation helps the Abu Dhabi talks or simply deepens divisions among allies will become clearer when negotiators meet next month.
