Finland and Norway leaders speak to Putin before Ukraine peace talks

​The ​leaders ​of ⁠Finland ⁠and Norway spoke with ​Russian President Vladimir ⁠Putin on Tuesday to discuss the prospects for a peace deal in Ukraine.

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store initiated the call that took place on Tuesday, in consultation with Ukraine, they said in a joint statement.

The aim of the call was to convey messages directly to Mr Putin regarding future negotiations to help end the war, they said, adding that the call related to trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine and the US planned to take place in Abu Dhabi early next month. Officials from each country have held sporadic talks throughout the war, with two rounds taking place in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.

They emphasised their continued and longstanding support for Ukraine and stressed that the war must end and negotiations resume, they said.

“The war comes with enormous human and material costs. The suffering and destruction will impact generations. In the call we stressed the importance of de-escalation”, Prime Minister Store said.

The two European leaders Mr Putin that attacks on ⁠Ukraine's energy and ​infrastructure ⁠needed ‌to ​be de-escalated, according to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The two leaders "clearly told the Russian leader that ​real de-escalation ‌steps ⁠are ​needed regarding ​our ‌energy sector ⁠and infrastructure," Mr Zelenskyy wrote ⁠on Telegram after talking to the two allies.

Mr Stubb called the discussion “frank and substantive”. “Ending the war requires direct discussions,” he said.

Mr Putin “emphasised that achieving a just and long-term peace is possible only if the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation are fully and unconditionally taken into account,” according to a Kremlin readout of the call. The three leaders agreed to maintain “direct phone contacts,” it said.

The talks follow a revived effort to get peace negotiations on track in the war Russia started that’s now in its fifth year. US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Mr Putin in St. Petersburg last week, after holding talks in Oslo with Mr Zelenskyy and the two Nordic leaders. Mr Witkoff described Mr Putin as a "humanitarian" during the visit.

Poor relations

Ukraine’s relations with the US are at a new low after Mr Trump struck a diesel deal with Mr Putin earlier this month and tensions flared over the slowing of Starlink internet connections that are vital to Kyiv’s ability to defend against Russian missile attacks. Budget needs are spiralling and the country lacks the air defences needed to fend off Russia’s expected winter onslaught.

The call was the first direct contact between Mr Putin and top European leaders allied with Kyiv since French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with his Russian counterpart in July last year.

Ukraine’s European allies are seeking a seat at the table on discussions about European security, and both Mr Store and Mr Stubb have used their countries’ shared border with Russia as justification for why they should be part of the talks.

“We are neighbouring countries to Russia,” Mr Stubb said in the statement. “The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security.”

Their two countries have a “shared interest in stability and predictability in the Baltic Sea region and the High North”, the statement said.

Attacks

Civilian casualties in Ukraine jumped by 85 per cent in September as Russia increased drone and missile attacks, according to the United Nations. At least 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 injured in attacks last month, UN human rights monitors said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one person was killed and 14 injured, most of them students, after a Russian strike near a university dormitory overnight.

Ukraine has continued long-range drone-and-missile attacks inside Russia over the past week, targeting military and industrial sites, while civilian infrastructure and residential property have also been damaged. Since Friday, strikes have killed at least 11 people in regions bordering Ukraine and left dozens injured, according to regional authorities.

Ukraine says its forces struck sites linked to Russia’s defence industry, including several chemical plants and a battery plant, as well as a petrochemical facility and logistics hub in Omsk, roughly 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles) from Ukraine.

Mr Stubb and Mr Store, who were both in Helsinki at the time of the call, said they were not speaking on behalf of Europe as a whole.

Still, the call drew criticism from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who told local broadcaster TV2 that it wasn’t coordinated with other European leaders. She said she’s “very sceptical” over what she called a solo initiative by Norway and Finland.