Finland's Stubb and Norway's Støre phone Putin about ending the Ukraine war
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin on 27 October 2026 about the war in Ukraine, according to Stubb's office. The call followed US envoy Steve Witkoff's talks in Oslo and St Petersburg.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday 27 October 2026 about the war in Ukraine, according to a statement from Stubb's office. The Straits TimesRC “Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere on Tuesday held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the war in Ukraine, Stubb's office said in a statement.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ MeduzaLC “Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin, the Finnish president’s office said.” Read at Meduza ↗ Right · 1Stubb said the discussion was "frank and substantive", that Finland and Norway are neighbours of Russia, that the outcome of the war will directly affect European security, and that ending the war requires direct discussions. The Straits TimesRC “"The discussion was frank and substantive. We are neighbouring countries to Russia. The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions," Stubb said in a statement.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Left · 1According to Meduza's account of the statement, Stubb and Støre initiated the call, described it as a follow-up to the 20 October meeting in Oslo, and aimed to convey Ukraine's position on the upcoming peace talks in Abu Dhabi directly to Putin. MeduzaLC “Stubb and Støre initiated the call to discuss Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts to end the war and promote peace and stability in Europe.”“The statement from the Finnish president’s office said the purpose of the call was to directly convey to President Putin Ukraine’s position on the upcoming peace talks in Abu Dhabi.” Read at Meduza ↗
Mixed · 2In Oslo, US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with Stubb taking part, and Witkoff then travelled to St Petersburg to meet Putin; Reuters says both Stubb and Støre met Witkoff and Zelensky in Oslo, a day before the Putin meeting. MeduzaLC “On October 20, a meeting was held in Oslo between Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Finnish President Alexander Stubb also took part.” Read at Meduza ↗ The Straits TimesRC “Stoere and Stubb met US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Oslo last week, a day before Witkoff met Putin in St Petersburg.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ Mixed · 2After the Putin–Witkoff talks, the Kremlin said Russia was willing to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine in November, for the first time since February; Meduza reports a new Russia–US–Ukraine trilateral meeting is planned in Abu Dhabi after 4 November, following the US midterm elections. The Straits TimesRC “The Kremlin said after the Putin-Witkoff talks that Russia was willing to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine in November, for the first time since February.” Read at The Straits Times ↗ MeduzaLC “It will take place after November 4 (that is, after the U.S. midterm elections) in Abu Dhabi.” Read at Meduza ↗ Right · 1Reuters notes that Western European leaders have mostly shunned contact with Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, and that Russia has accused European governments of stoking the war by arming Ukraine and refusing to talk to Moscow, contrasting them with US President Donald Trump, whose attempts to broker peace have so far failed. The Straits TimesRC “Western European leaders have mostly shunned contact with Putin since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022.”“Russia has frequently accused European governments of stoking the war by arming Ukraine and refusing to talk to Moscow.” Read at The Straits Times ↗
Left · 1Meduza adds that European countries have been looking for a representative to take part in talks on the EU's behalf, and that The Telegraph named Stubb and Støre, Italy's Giorgia Meloni, Czech President Petr Pavel and Denmark's Mette Frederiksen as candidates. MeduzaLC “Among the candidates for this role, The Telegraph named Stubb and Støre, as well as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Czech President Petr Pavel, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.” Read at Meduza ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Meduza reports the call as part of the diplomatic effort around peace talks, focusing on its purpose of conveying Ukraine's position ahead of Abu Dhabi talks and on the search for an EU representative.
- Emphasis
- Purpose of the call, Abu Dhabi trilateral talks after the US midterms, candidates for an EU envoy.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention Western leaders' general avoidance of Putin or Russian accusations against Europe.
- Charged language
- “Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine”
- For example
-
“Stubb and Støre initiated the call to discuss Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts to end the war and promote peace and stability in Europe.” — Meduza
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Reuters copy carried by the Straits Times presents the call as a notable break from Western European leaders' avoidance of Putin, with Stubb's quote and the Russia–Trump contrast as context.
- Emphasis
- Stubb's quote that ending the war requires direct discussions; Russian criticism of Europe versus Trump's engagement.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not give the stated purpose of conveying Ukraine's position or the Abu Dhabi talks.
- Charged language
- “shunned”
- For example
-
“Western European leaders have mostly shunned contact with Putin since Russia launched its full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022.” — The Straits Times
What every side reports
- Stubb and Støre phoned Putin on 27 October 2026 about the war in Ukraine, per Stubb's office.
- The call followed talks in Oslo with US envoy Steve Witkoff and Zelensky, after which Witkoff met Putin in St Petersburg.
- Further US-mediated peace talks are expected in November.
Where accounts differ
-
Who took part in the Oslo meeting with Witkoff and Zelensky
- Left
- Meduza says Stubb also took part, without mentioning Støre, and dates it 20 October.
- Right
- Reuters (via the Straits Times) says both Støre and Stubb met Witkoff and Zelensky in Oslo 'last week'.
Alexander Stubb person
Stubb, through his office, called the talk frank and substantive and argued that, as a neighbour of Russia, Finland is directly affected by the war's outcome and that ending it requires direct discussions.
“Ending the war requires direct discussions," Stubb said in a statement.” — The Straits Times
Jonas Gahr Støre person
Støre joined Stubb in initiating the call to discuss diplomatic efforts to end the war and promote peace and stability in Europe.
“Stubb and Støre initiated the call to discuss Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the diplomatic efforts to end the war and promote peace and stability in Europe.” — Meduza
Vladimir Putin person
No statement from Putin on the call is reported; the Kremlin said after the Witkoff talks that Russia was willing to resume US-mediated talks in November.
“The Kremlin said after the Putin-Witkoff talks that Russia was willing to resume US-mediated peace talks with Ukraine in November, for the first time since February.” — The Straits Times
Left1 article
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MeduzaLC ·
Finnish and Norwegian leaders spoke with Putin by phone about ending war in Ukraine
Neutral Short news report centred on the call's purpose of relaying Ukraine's position before Abu Dhabi talks, with context on the search for an EU negotiator.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
The Straits TimesRC · · via Reuters
Norway's prime minister, Finland's president in phone call with Putin
Neutral Reuters wire copy reporting the call with Stubb's quote and background on Europe's limited contact with Putin and the Trump-led mediation.
- 27 Oct 09:50 First The Straits TimesRC Norway's prime minister, Finland's president in phone call with Putin via Reuters
- 27 Oct 10:04 +14m MeduzaLC Finnish and Norwegian leaders spoke with Putin by phone about ending war in Ukraine
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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