Norway, Finland leaders call Putin over Ukraine
Finland's president and Norway's prime minister held a "frank and substantive" discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday about efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the Nordic leaders said. It was the latest effort by Kyiv's allies to de-escalate the most deadly conflict in Europe since World War II. "The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions," President Alexander Stubb said in a joint statement with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. Speaking to reporters in Helsinki, Stubb said the idea for the call had originated during a meeting in Oslo on October 20 between Store, Stubb and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as US envoy Steve Witkoff. US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner also took part in the meeting remotely. After the Oslo talks, Witkoff travelled to Saint Petersburg to meet Putin. Stubb said "both the Americans and the Ukrainians thought it would be a good idea to reach out," and that Ukraine had wished for the Nordic countries to help it "open a channel of communication." Store, who was also in Helsinki for a meeting of Nordic leaders, told reporters that the 90-minute call had...
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