Leaders of Norway, Finland hold rare call with Putin in break with previous European stance

The leaders of Finland and Norway called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to urge him to end the war in Ukraine, breaking with a longstanding practice among Western European leaders of shunning direct contact with the Kremlin.

The phone call by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere was a bid to influence the diplomatic process at a time when President Donald Trump has shifted his position in favor of Russia and U.S. ties with Ukraine have hit their lowest point in 18 months.

The Nordic leaders spoke by phone to Putin and afterward to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a Zelenskyy aide.

“The discussion (with Putin) was frank and substantive. We are neighboring 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 joint statement with Stoere.

The Norwegian added: “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.”

Both leaders stressed their strong support for Ukraine, which they said would continue.

The Kremlin’s readout of the…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world