For the first time in months, sitting European leaders called Vladimir Putin directly about the war in Ukraine. On 27 October 2026, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a joint telephone conversation with the Russian president, according to Standart and Club Z. The two Nordic leaders initiated the call, and both say they consulted Kyiv before doing so.
Direct European contact with the Kremlin has been rare since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. Standart reports that the last European leader known to have spoken directly with Putin before this call was French President Emmanuel Macron, in July.
A 90-minute conversation planned to last 20
The call ran well over its allotted time. Støre said it lasted around 90 minutes, though it had been scheduled for only 20. Both leaders described the discussion as frank and substantive, while acknowledging that significant gaps remain between their positions and Moscow's.
Stubb said the conversation was "frank and substantive" and noted that Finland and Norway, as neighbours of Russia, have a direct stake in how the war ends. "Ending the war requires direct discussions," he added, according to Standart. Støre called for "a diplomatic path to end this war once and for all and in a just way." The three leaders agreed to keep the direct line open, suggesting the call was not intended as a one-off.
After speaking with Putin, both Nordic leaders also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Club Z reports, citing a Zelensky adviser quoted by Reuters. The calls came ahead of a new round of Russia-Ukraine-US contacts expected in Abu Dhabi.
Moscow's position: no compromise on Donbas
The firmest signal from the exchange came from the Russian side. A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters, as cited by Standart, that Putin told Stubb and Støre Russia does not intend to compromise on its goal of controlling the entire Donbas region. The official Kremlin readout was softer, saying Putin outlined his assessment of the front-line situation and described what Moscow considers the root causes of the conflict. Stubb and Støre reportedly replied that any end to the war must result in a just peace.
Not all European leaders welcomed the move. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was openly critical, telling Danish public broadcaster DR that she was "very sceptical" because the call had not been coordinated with other EU partners, Club Z reports. That reaction points to a broader tension: the EU has been trying to establish its own negotiating channel with Moscow, but the Kremlin refuses contact with the formal leadership of the bloc, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, according to Club Z citing Politico.
Why this matters for Bulgaria and Bulgarians abroad
Bulgaria is a member of both NATO and the EU, shares the Black Sea neighbourhood with Ukraine, and relies on allied solidarity for its security guarantees. Any shift in Europe's negotiating posture toward Moscow affects the framework within which Sofia operates, with knock-on effects for energy policy and defence spending commitments. When individual leaders contact Putin without bloc-wide coordination, that calculation becomes harder for every member state, Bulgaria included.
Finland joined NATO in April 2023, making Stubb one of the alliance's newest members at the time of the call.
