Finland and Norway call Putin to discuss war and upcoming talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with the leaders of Finland and Norway on Tuesday. The call occurred as a localized ceasefire began in southern Ukraine.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre initiated the discussion. Their offices confirmed the contact on Tuesday. The two leaders had met in Oslo on October 20 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. The phone call followed that meeting.

The Nordic leaders consulted with Ukraine before placing the call. Stubb and Støre spoke for their own nations rather than for Europe as a whole. They discussed the ongoing war and upcoming trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the United States. Those talks are expected to take place in Abu Dhabi in November.

Stubb described the conversation as frank and substantive. He noted that Finland and Norway are neighboring countries to Russia. He stated that the outcome of the war will directly impact their security. He added that ending the conflict requires direct discussions. Støre said the war carries enormous human and material costs. He emphasized the importance of de-escalation during the call.

Russia and Ukraine began observing a localized ceasefire in the city of Oleshky at 3 a.m. Tuesday. The pause in fighting allows a humanitarian mission brokered by U.S. first lady Melania Trump to proceed. The mission is scheduled for later this week. Up to 2,000 people remain stranded in Oleshky. Food and medical supplies are running low in the city.

Melania Trump led talks with civilian negotiators from Russia and Ukraine. She met with U.N. officials who briefed her on the situation in Oleshky. Negotiators said doctors, medicines, food, and water will be delivered before evacuation corridors open. The ceasefire is due to last through Saturday or longer if needed. Its geographical scope is centered on Oleshky and nearby parts of the Kherson region.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there have been no reports of violations so far. The local lull stands in contrast to daily life in the area. Russian forces seized Kherson in early 2022 but retreated across the Dnipro River months later. Oleshky sits across the river from Kherson. It is about 550 kilometers southeast of Kyiv.

Yaroslav Shanko, head of the Kherson city administration, said it is too early to draw conclusions. He noted that previous announced ceasefires had no effect on Kherson. He described the current lull as sometimes frightening. His portable drone detector, which usually picks up overhead activity, had gone silent. City services plan to use the pause to carry out utility work that is usually too dangerous.

Russian missile attacks continued elsewhere in Ukraine during the pause. Multiple ballistic missile explosions shook Kyiv minutes after 3 a.m. Tuesday. Air alerts sounded in multiple parts of the country. Attacks late Monday damaged the grounds of a university in Kyiv, killing one person and injuring 10. Authorities in Kharkiv said attacks late Monday killed two people and injured four. Zelenskyy wrote that the world is seeing Russia's desire to continue waging war.