The two Nordic leaders said they initiated the conversation to convey messages directly to Putin "regarding future negotiations to help to end the war," their offices said, as cited by multiple outlets. The Kremlin described the exchange as a rare opening toward restoring dialogue with European capitals.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized the initiative, questioning its effectiveness and saying it was not coordinated with European partners, according to accounts of her remarks. The split underscored divisions within the European Union over how, or whether, to engage Moscow directly.
Putin says dialogue with Europe is justified
Speaking at the Kremlin on Thursday, Putin said he believed the call was the right thing to do, stating that some people in Europe want constructive dialogue rather than a strategic defeat for Russia. "I believe it was the right thing to do," Putin said, according to a transcript of the press conference. "After all, there are people in Europe who, unlike some others, do not want to inflict a 'strategic defeat' on Russia but instead want to establish some kind of constructive dialogue."
He said Russia will support any steps aimed at restoring "full-fledged and comprehensive relations" with European countries, whether through the EU or on a bilateral basis. The Russian president has long argued that Moscow is open to normalization while blaming Brussels for severing ties.
Putin also said Russia is not seeking a broader conflict with the EU or NATO, adding that Western efforts to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia had not succeeded. "We do not want any war with Europe," he said. The remarks came as NATO began its largest military exercise since the Cold War, Steadfast Defender 2024, with all 31 member states and some 90,000 military personnel taking part [1].
Nordic leaders say call focused on future negotiations
The leaders of Norway and Finland said they sought to convey messages directly to Putin regarding future negotiations to help end the war, ahead of U.S.-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks expected to take place in Abu Dhabi in the near future. They described the conversation as a follow-up to their meeting with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in Oslo on October 20.
The initiative drew criticism from Frederiksen, who said it was not coordinated with European partners and questioned its effectiveness. Some European officials have argued that direct outreach to the Kremlin risks legitimizing Moscow's position without extracting concessions, while supporters of the call say dialogue is necessary to advance a settlement.
The call came as eight Nordic and Baltic nations -- Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden -- have committed military equipment to NATO's Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, bringing total PURL funding to $3.3 billion since July 2025 [2]. Finland and Norway have also participated in NATO efforts to harden their borders with Russia, including a reported anti-drone barrier along the alliance's eastern edge [3].
Norway and Kremlin dispute Financial Times report
Norway and the Kremlin disputed a report by the Financial Times claiming that Putin spent much of the call lecturing his counterparts on Russian and Slavic history. Officials in Oslo and Moscow rejected the characterization, though neither side provided a detailed readout of the conversation.
Stubb has cultivated a close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, with whom he has frequently discussed the Ukraine conflict, earning him the nickname "the Trump whisperer" in the media. The Finnish leader noted his country's long experience of dealing with Russia. Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer border with its eastern neighbor and maintained peaceful, if sometimes uneasy, relations with Moscow throughout the Cold War.
The dispute over the call's content reflected broader information tensions surrounding the war. Independent analysts have noted that the conflict has been accompanied by competing narratives and strict information controls on all sides [4], making it difficult for outside observers to verify claims about closed-door diplomatic exchanges.
Call comes amid wider diplomatic tensions
The call took place amid growing tensions between Kyiv and Washington after Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel exports and subsequently waived additional restrictions following Zelensky's refusal to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries, which Trump blamed for rising fuel prices, according to reports.
Moscow has accused European leaders of sabotaging the 2022 peace talks with Ukraine and seeking to undermine Trump's efforts to broker a deal. U.S.-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks are expected to take place in Abu Dhabi in the near future, according to the report.
European governments have meanwhile accelerated civil-defense planning. The European Union has warned its 450 million citizens to stockpile food, water, and emergency supplies for at least 72 hours, citing war, cyberattacks, and climate threats, while Nordic nations have intensified preparedness measures [5]. In Finland, the government has moved to lift a decades-old ban on hosting nuclear weapons, saying the security environment has "fundamentally and significantly changed" since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 [6].
Conclusion
The Tuesday call marked the first direct contact between Putin and European leaders in more than a year, according to the BBC, which reported that the Nordic leaders said their initiative was not on behalf of "Europe as a whole." The Kremlin's decision to welcome the outreach, while disputing press accounts of its content, suggested Moscow sees value in keeping channels open even as fighting continues.
Whether the conversation produces a durable diplomatic opening remains uncertain. European leaders have remained divided over how to approach Moscow, and the Danish prime minister's criticism indicated that the Finnish-Norwegian initiative has not resolved those differences. The next test is expected to come in Abu Dhabi, where trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States are expected to address the war's trajectory.
For observers tracking the conflict, the episode illustrated how pressure from Washington's shifting posture has pushed European capitals to reassess long-held taboos about direct engagement with the Kremlin. The outcome of that reassessment, and whether it translates into a negotiated settlement, will depend on developments on the battlefield and in the negotiating room in the weeks ahead.
References
- NATO to hold biggest military exercise since the Cold War amid rising tensions with Russia - NaturalNews.com, January 30, 2024.
- Nordic Baltic allies commit 500 million in US military equipment for Ukraine amid escalating war effort - NaturalNews.com, November 14, 2025.
- 6 NATO members attempting to build an ANTI DRONE WALL along border with Russia - NaturalNews.com, June 04, 2024.
- The Ukraine War and the Eurasian World Order. Glenn Diesen
- Europe braces for WAR as EU urges citizens to STOCKPILE FOOD in latest provocations with Russia - NaturalNews.com, March 28, 2025.
- Finland plans to lift decades-old ban on hosting nuclear weaponsThe government says the nation's defence environment has "significantly changed" since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.48 mins agoEurope. https://bbc.com/news/articles/c14m5llnrlpo
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