The Kremlin has revealed the content of a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. According to reports, this was reported by the Ukrainian media outlet RBC-Ukraine, citing the Russian news agency TASS. According to the Russian side, Stubb and Støre initiated the conversation, and during the call, Putin presented his assessment of the frontline situation and recalled the reasons Moscow cites as the root causes of the conflict.
Format and Contact Initiative
According to the Kremlin's statement, the European leaders themselves initiated the phone call, which took place on October 27. During the conversation, according to the Russian side, the participants discussed the prospects of a diplomatic settlement of the war and reportedly approved an agreement to hold peace talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi. At the end of the conversation, according to the Kremlin, Putin, Stubb, and Støre agreed to maintain direct telephone contacts.
Moscow's Position on War Termination Conditions
Separately, the Kremlin stated that Putin asserted that achieving a fair and long-term peace in Ukraine, from Moscow's perspective, is possible only by taking Russia's interests into account. The Russian leader, according to TASS, also accused NATO and European Union countries of a confrontational policy, claiming that this very rhetoric is prolonging the war in Ukraine.
Humanitarian Operation and Baltic Security
According to the Russian side, Putin informed his interlocutors about a US-mediated humanitarian operation in the Oleshky area. Another topic of discussion was security in the Baltic Sea and northern European regions: the participants, according to the Kremlin, confirmed the importance of complying with international maritime law and the principle of freedom of navigation.
Consultations with Kyiv and Ukrainian Side's Reaction
Before the contact, Stubb and Støre reportedly consulted with Kyiv to convey Ukraine's position ahead of the peace talks in Abu Dhabi. The Ukrainian side was also involved in the process: Presidential Communications Advisor Dmytro Lytvyn stated that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was concurrently communicating with European partners regarding contacts with the Russian leader. Thus, the telephone call became part of a broader diplomatic track in which Kyiv coordinates its position with European capitals.
