Norway and Finland leaders hold rare call with Putin
The leaders of Finland and Norway held a rare joint phone call with Vladimir Putin to discuss potential diplomatic paths to end the war in Ukraine. The Nordic leaders emphasized that the initiative was independent of broader European policy.
Why it matters
This represents a rare diplomatic channel between NATO-aligned nations and Russia amid ongoing regional tensions.
Image source, AFP via Getty Images Image caption, Norway and Finland say they are not acting on behalf of other European leaders
Finland's President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre have held a joint call with Vladimir Putin - a rare contact between the Russian president and European leaders.
The aim was looking at "future negotiations to help to end the war" in Ukraine, their offices said. They said their initiative was not on behalf of "Europe as a whole".
After the call, Putin said "confrontational" EU and Nato policies were prolonging the war which began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has spoken to the two Nordic leaders after their conversation with Putin. Last week, Zelensky met them as well as US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo.
Also covering this story
2 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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