Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement of the Ukraine conflict with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in a phone call on Tuesday, a rare high-level contact between Moscow and Nordic capitals since the war began.
The achievement of a just long-term peace is possible only with full and unconditional consideration of the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation, the Kremlin said in an official statement.
Putin drew attention to the confrontational policy of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries, which he said had prolonged the conflict.
Issues of ensuring security and stability in the Baltic Sea and Northern Europe were also touched upon, the Kremlin said.
Stubb and Store stressed the importance of complying with international maritime law and the principle of freedom of navigation, it noted.
Describing the discussion as "frank and substantive", Stubb said that Finland and Norway, both neighbors of Russia, would be directly affected by the outcome of the conflict, as would broader European security.
Stubb said that ending the war requires direct discussions, according to a press release from the Finnish President's Office.
Stubb and Store said the call was made in their national capacities and did not represent Europe as a whole, and reaffirmed their continued support for Ukraine.
The call, initiated by Stubb and Store, was held in consultation with Ukraine and aimed to convey messages directly to Putin regarding future negotiations to end the conflict, and was related to upcoming meetings in the United Arab Emirates, the press release said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later said that he had spoken by phone with the two Nordic leaders on the day. The Finnish and Norwegian leaders stated that they made it clear to Putin during their phone calls with him that Russia needs to take practical actions to downgrade its attacks on Ukraine's energy and infrastructure facilities.
Their discussions covered preparations for a trilateral meeting involving Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian teams scheduled for November, and possible formats for Ukraine's cooperation with European partners on diplomacy, defense and shared security.
Russia, Ukraine and the United States are reportedly planning to resume talks in the UAE in November. The negotiations have been stalled since the beginning of this year.
Putin discusses Ukraine conflict with Finnish, Norwegian leaders: Kremlin
