War in Ukraine: “frank and substantial” exchange between Putin and the Norwegian and Finnish leaders

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre had a “frank and substantial” meeting with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss the follow-up to the discussions between Volodymyr Zelensky and the American envoys in Oslo.

Carried out at the initiative of the two Nordic leaders, hosts of the Oslo meeting last week, “the meeting was frank and substantial,” said Mr. Stubb, quoted in a joint press release. “The outcome of this war will have direct consequences on our security and, more broadly, on that of Europe. Ending the war requires direct discussions,” he added. The discussion took place after consultation with Ukraine and the two Nordic leaders spoke on their own behalf, not that of Europeans as a whole, the press release specifies.

Zelensky speaks with Nordic leaders

In kyiv, the Ukrainian presidency indicated on Tuesday that Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by telephone with the two leaders after their call with Vladimir Putin. “They are talking,” Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, told reporters. Finland and Norway are among kyiv's strongest supporters in the face of the Russian invasion, which has continued since 2022.

MM. Støre and Stubb welcomed Mr. Zelensky last Tuesday in the Norwegian capital, where the Ukrainian president met with American envoys Steve Witkoff and - remotely - Jared Kushner with a view to discussing an exit from the conflict in Ukraine. At the end of these discussions, Mr. Witkoff went to Saint Petersburg for a meeting with Vladimir Putin.