--- title: "Months of Secret Prep: How Stubb and Støre Decided on a Direct Call to Putin" description: "The President of Finland and Prime Minister of Norway secretly prepared a direct call to Putin for months, not wanting to leave Ukrainian diplomacy solely in Washington's hands. The conversation took place on October 27." date: 2026-11-09T05:42:56.782Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/stubb-st-re-secretly-prepare-putin-call tags: [finland, norway, putin, ukraine-war, diplomacy, trump, abu-dhabi] author: "Marina Slivenko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Months of Secret Prep: How Stubb and Støre Decided on a Direct Call to Putin ![Finnish President Alexander Stubb making an official statement in front of the national flag.](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/09/stubb-i-stere-tayno-gotovili-zvonok-putinu/stubb-i-stere-tayno-gotovili-zvonok-putinu-1.webp) ## Key Points - Stubb and Støre spent months secretly discussing the idea of a direct call to Putin; the conversation took place on October 27. - The reason was Europe's distrust of Washington's position and Witkoff's visit to St. Petersburg. - Call format: each side reads prepared messages in turns without interruptions. - Putin, according to Politico, instructed negotiators to prepare for a meeting in Abu Dhabi (November 10–11), but no breakthrough is expected. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spent several months discussing the idea of a direct phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin behind closed doors. This was reported by Politico, with details of the preparation confirmed by Ukrainian and Russian media. According to sources, the leaders of the two Nordic nations, who are long-time friends, concluded they could not allow Donald Trump, his special envoy Steve Witkoff, and the American president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to remain the only Western figures communicating directly with the Kremlin. The phone call, sources specify, took place on October 27. ### Why Europe Stopped Relying on Washington The key reason for the independent initiative was, according to many European officials, growing distrust of the US position on the Ukrainian settlement. In late 2025 and early 2026, Trump made another attempt to end the war, but in early March, this momentum was interrupted due to a conflict between the US and Iran. In October, the American president returned to the topic of Ukraine, criticizing Volodymyr Zelenskyy for attacks on Russian oil refineries while claiming that the Russian side had been "behaving normally." Fearing the collapse of negotiations, Stubb and Støre intervened: Oslo hosted Zelenskyy and Witkoff to improve relations. Stubb, who attended the meeting, stated that it "put the peace process back on track." ### Witkoff's Visit to St. Petersburg as a Trigger However, just 24 hours later, Witkoff again stunned European leaders by meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg and calling him a "humanist." After this episode and consultations with Zelenskyy, the Finnish and Norwegian leaders were finally convinced of the need for their own channel of communication with Moscow. As one EU government representative noted, Europe should ask itself whether it believes that "someone else should maintain contacts and conduct discussions on our behalf." Another high-ranking European official emphasized: "We need pro-Ukrainian leaders who will convey their messages to Putin." ### Conversation Format: Read Messages Without Interruptions Five years after the start of Russia's diplomatic isolation, the Nordic team contacted Putin's representatives and agreed on the parameters of the conversation. A strict rule was approved: each side takes turns reading pre-prepared messages without interruptions or comments from the other. According to officials, one of the goals of the call was to assess the Russian president's state. The Norwegian leader described Putin as "rational" and "professional" during the talks. Støre also stated: "Living from month to month, believing that the war will end because Europe will not negotiate with Moscow — that, in my view, is an illusion." ### What the Kremlin Said and What Oslo and Helsinki Expect According to Politico, Putin took the idea of negotiations in Abu Dhabi seriously and reportedly told the Nordic representatives that he would instruct his negotiators to prepare for the meeting to see if progress was possible. Nevertheless, according to sources, Støre remains unconvinced that the Russian leader is truly open to a deal. Neither the Finnish nor the Norwegian teams expect a major breakthrough at the Abu Dhabi negotiations scheduled for November 10 and 11. ### Reaction in Europe: Allies' Dissatisfaction The independent diplomatic initiative of Helsinki and Oslo caused dissatisfaction among some European partners. In particular, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized her colleagues' actions, believing that such contacts with the Kremlin should be more carefully coordinated with EU and NATO allies. This episode clearly demonstrates the internal rift in Europe between proponents of direct diplomacy with Russia and those who insist on a unified, coordinated position by the bloc. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Лидеры Финляндии и Норвегии месяцами тайно обсуждали идею звонка Путину, - Politico](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/lideri-finlyandiyi-ta-norvegiyi-misyatsyami-1794202608.html) - Original source: secret months of discussion, reason - distrust of Washington, Witkoff's visit, call format, Støre's quotes, Putin's reaction on Abu Dhabi. - [Стубб и Стере месяцами держали в тайне обсуждение звонка Путину](https://komsanews.ru/news/politika/stubb-i-stere-mesjatsami-derzhali-v-tajne-obsuzhdenie-zvonka-putinu/) - Specifies the date of the phone call — October 27. - [Politico: Стубб и Стёре месяцами тайно готовили звонок Путину](https://life.ru/p/mesyatsy-taynoy-podgotovki-i-nedovolstvo-evropy-kak-stubb-i-stere-reshilis) - Confirms secret preparation, consultations with Zelenskyy, and adds criticism from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. ## FAQ ### When did the phone call between Stubb, Støre, and Putin take place? According to sources, the conversation took place on October 27, 2026. ### Why did the Finnish and Norwegian leaders decide to call the Kremlin? They feared that Trump, Witkoff, and Kushner would remain the only Western figures communicating directly with Putin, and they did not trust Washington's position on the Ukrainian settlement. ### What format was chosen for the call? Each side took turns reading pre-prepared messages without interruptions or comments from the other. ### Do the Finns and Norwegians expect a breakthrough at the Abu Dhabi negotiations? No, according to sources, neither the Finnish nor the Norwegian teams expect a major breakthrough at the November 10–11 negotiations.