Photo via aljazeera.com
Finland, Norway Hold Rare Direct Call with Putin
Nordic leaders bypass Western isolation policy ahead of Abu Dhabi peace talks, drawing criticism from Denmark and Sweden over European unity.
What happened
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 27, marking a rare break from Western practice of avoiding direct contact with the Kremlin. The call was pre-coordinated with Ukraine and aimed at influencing upcoming US-mediated trilateral talks planned for early November in Abu Dhabi.
The leaders emphasized de-escalation, specifically urging Putin to halt strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure. They framed the initiative as representing their respective countries rather than Europe as a whole, stressing that Finland and Norway's direct borders with Russia gave them particular stake in the war's outcome. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy publicly backed the move, praising the leaders for conducting their diplomacy "completely out in the open" with advance consultation.
But the call exposed fault lines within the Nordic bloc. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized the initiative as uncoordinated and questioned whether Russia was serious about peace, while Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson warned the move risked "fragmenting the European voice." The Kremlin's readout of the conversation suggested little movement, with Moscow reiterating that any settlement must fully account for Russian interests and blaming EU and NATO policies for prolonging the conflict.
The move reflects broader European anxieties over losing diplomatic influence as US President Donald Trump has shifted his position toward Russia, and US-Ukraine relations have deteriorated to their lowest point in 18 months. European capitals now compete to ensure a seat at the negotiating table for November's talks, even as Russia signals it will keep the initial round limited to a trilateral format.
Chanakya's Move
Stubb and Støre's move is a calculated bet that direct outreach will achieve what collective European isolation has not: pressure Russia toward compromise before more formal talks. Their gambit rests on three assumptions: (1) that Finland and Norway's border status gives them unique credibility with Putin; (2) that coordinating with Ukraine shields them from charges of freelancing; and (3) that Europe's internal divisions on Russia strategy create an opening for initiative rather than obstruction. The risk is existential—they are weakening the unified front they claim to represent. Denmark and Sweden's criticism suggests they fear this precedent will dissolve European leverage entirely, reducing the bloc to competing national interests bidding for access to Moscow. Putin's non-response and restatement of maximalist demands suggest he sees the call as validation of fragmentation rather than pressure to move. The counter-move will be whether EU institutions assert central coordination over member-state diplomacy, or whether other European capitals now attempt their own channels.