Norway’s and Finland’s leaders call Putin, then Zelenskiy, as trilateral talks with the US are set to resume
The Nordic leaders held what they called a frank and substantive call with Putin in consultation with Ukraine, a week after meeting Witkoff and Zelenskiy in Oslo.
Norway’s prime minister, Støre, and Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb, held phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and then with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy1. The two leaders described their talk with Putin as frank and substantive3. The call was held in consultation with Ukraine, according to official statements by the two Nordic countries2.
The calls followed a meeting in Oslo last week, where Støre and Stubb met US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Zelenskiy, a day before Witkoff met Putin in St Petersburg1. Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, took part in the Oslo meeting remotely3. The conversations follow a renewed diplomatic push led by Witkoff7.
The Kremlin said the parties welcomed the agreement to resume trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States6. The focus of the call was ending the war in Ukraine4. The Kremlin published its own account of the telephone conversation with Stubb and the Norwegian prime minister6.
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Why it matters to investors
Putin’s peace talks with the Finnish and Norwegian leaders were rare, and Zelenskiy followed up with his own conversations with them7. The participation of two Nordic leaders who met Witkoff and Zelenskiy in Oslo5 ties the European track to the US effort.
Zelenskiy said he expects a trilateral meeting of Ukraine, the United States and Russia in early November8. The Kremlin’s statement that the parties welcomed a resumption of three-way talks6 points the same way, after the renewed US push led by Witkoff7.
The Kremlin’s account, which stresses agreement on resuming talks6, is the Russian government’s version of the call; the Nordic statements, as reported, emphasised that the call was held in consultation with Ukraine2. Investors exposed to sanctions, energy flows and European defence spending have a stake in whether the talks advance.
What to watch
The date and format of the trilateral meeting that Zelenskiy expects in early November8 is the next marker. So is whether Witkoff, who met Putin in St Petersburg after the Oslo talks1, returns to Moscow or meets Russian officials elsewhere3.
Investors will also watch for any role for the Nordic leaders in the talks themselves. Stubb and Støre were photographed with Witkoff and Zelenskiy in Oslo4,5, and their calls to both Putin and Zelenskiy1 make them intermediaries in a process otherwise led from Washington7.
Sources
- Leaders of Norway, Finland hold calls with Putin then Zelenskiy | Reuters, reuters.com (2026-10-27)
- Leaders of Finland and Norway speak on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, washingtonpost.com (2026-10-27)
- Norway, Finland leaders hold ‘frank and substantive’ talk with Putin - France 24, france24.com (2026-10-27)
- Norway, Finland leaders hold ‘frank’ talk with Putin on ending Ukraine war, scmp.com (2026-10-27)
- Norway, Finland leaders hold ‘frank’ call with Putin - RTE, rte.ie (2026-10-27)
- Telephone conversation with President of Finland Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister of ..., en.kremlin.ru (2026-10-27)
- Putin holds rare Ukraine peace talks with Finnish, Norwegian leaders; Zelensky follows up, ynetnews.com (2026-10-27)
- Zelenskyy expecting Ukraine-USA-Russia trilateral meeting in early Nov, en.interfax.com.ua (2026-10-26)
Assembled by Edwin, my AI assistant powered by Claude, from the public excerpts of the outlets numbered above. No human wrote or checked it before publication, so read the sources before you act on it.
This story passed the checks every published story must pass: 8 sources from 8 outlets, at least two outlets, at least five citations to its sources, a Tier 1 or 2 source cited, every substantive figure found in a cited source, no repeat of a recent headline.