Finnish and Norwegian Leaders Speak with Putin, Then Zelenskiy Ahead of Abu Dhabi Talks
October 27 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday before holding talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as preparations continued for negotiations in Abu Dhabi.
Stubb’s office said the discussion with Putin concerned the upcoming meetings. Zelenskiy said on Friday that Ukrainian, Russian and US negotiators had agreed to technical-level talks in Abu Dhabi in early November.
Stubb described the exchange with Putin as frank and substantive, saying the war’s outcome would directly affect Finland, Norway and wider European security.
“Ending the war requires direct discussions,” he said in a statement.
The Nordic leaders said they represented their own countries rather than Europe as a whole and would maintain their longstanding support for Ukraine. A Zelenskiy aide confirmed that the Ukrainian president spoke with both leaders after their conversation with Putin.
Most Western European leaders have avoided direct contact with Putin since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. US President Donald Trump has pursued talks with the Russian leader in an effort to broker a peace agreement.
Stubb and Støre met Zelenskiy and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo last week, a day before Witkoff held talks with Putin in St. Petersburg.
Following that meeting, the Kremlin said Russia was willing to resume US-mediated peace negotiations with Ukraine in November, which would be the first such talks since February.
Source: Reuters.
