A sudden diplomatic move...Northern European leaders communicate with Putin

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The Kremlin announced, on Tuesday, that Russian President Vladimir Putin received two phone calls from Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storhe, in a diplomatic move followed by calls with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

While the details of the talks with Putin or the files they covered were not immediately clear, Denmark expressed doubts about the two contacts, amid the continuing Russian-Ukrainian war and international efforts aimed at reaching a settlement.

According to Agence France-Presse, the Ukrainian presidency announced that Zelensky had contacted Staub and Store, following their talks with the Russian president.

Ukrainian President's Advisor Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters on Tuesday that the conversation between Zelensky and the two leaders was still ongoing at the time he made his statement. “They are talking now,” Litvin added, without revealing the content of the call or the possible results of the consultations.

In parallel, Denmark announced that it had doubts about the Finnish President and Norwegian Prime Minister communicating with Putin.

The available statements did not include details about the nature of the Danish reservations, or whether Copenhagen had been informed in advance of these communications.

Also, according to available information, there was no announcement of a specific agreement or initiative resulting from the talks with the Russian President.

These developments come at a time when international contacts continue regarding the Ukrainian war, amid existing disagreements over the conditions for stopping the fighting and the security arrangements that may accompany any settlement.

Communications are of particular importance given the position of Finland and Norway in the European security equation.

Finland shares a long border with Russia, and joined NATO in 2023, in a significant shift in its security policy following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

As for Norway, it is a founding member of the alliance, and has a land border with Russia in the far north of Europe.

The two countries are among the most prominent supporters of Ukraine, both on the political level and through the aid provided to Kiev since the outbreak of the war.

Zelensky had confirmed, in previous statements, his country's readiness to end the war as quickly as possible, noting that Russia controls about 19% of Ukrainian territory.

On the other hand, US President Donald Trump said that his administration is working to end the war between Russia and Ukraine before concluding any deals with Moscow.

The nature of the talks held by Staub and Storr with Putin remains unclear, while Zelensky’s communication with them directly after the two calls reflects Kiev’s interest in following up on diplomatic moves related to Moscow.

In the latest developments, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storhe confirmed that there are major differences with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the war in Ukraine, following their phone call on Tuesday, with the participation of Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

According to Agence France-Presse, Stoura said that the talks showed the continued significant divergence in positions regarding the Ukrainian war, without announcing a breakthrough in the controversial issues.

In statements reported by Reuters, the Norwegian Prime Minister explained that all allied and partner countries were informed in advance of the Finnish-Norwegian phone call with Putin.

This clarification comes after Denmark announced that it has doubts about communicating with the Russian President, at a time when European capitals are following diplomatic moves related to the war.

In a related context, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk revealed that Finnish President Alexander Stubb informed him, following his conversation with Putin, of a European assessment characterized by “moderate optimism” regarding the Abu Dhabi talks.

Tusk quoted Stope as saying that the European position on these talks holds a degree of optimism, without revealing additional details about the negotiation path or the expected results.

The Ukrainian presidency had announced that President Volodymyr Zelensky had made contact with Stope and Storah following their talks with Putin, as part of ongoing diplomatic contacts regarding the war.

The new statements reveal continued disagreements with Moscow, in parallel with cautious European expectations that progress can be achieved in the ongoing talks.