Conversational device: Europe is trying to restore communication channels with Russia
The leaders of Russia, Norway and Finland agreed to maintain direct contacts following a telephone conversation on October 27. The Norwegian Prime Minister and the Finnish president called Vladimir Putin, but at the same time denied that they spoke on behalf of the whole of Europe. However, experts believe that Oslo and Helsinki are unlikely to have acted without coordination with Brussels and Kiev. Now the EU is trying to find a negotiator who could enter into a dialogue with Russia on behalf of the entire European Union. At the same time, as reported to Izvestia in the European Parliament, due to disagreements within Europe, the nomination of not one, but several politicians is being discussed.
Negotiations with Finland and Norway
European countries are trying to restore direct communication channels with Russia. Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stere called Vladimir Putin on October 27. The last time the head of the Norwegian government spoke with the Russian leader was in March 2022, and for the Finnish president this is the first telephone conversation with Putin since taking office in early 2024.
The Russian president gave an assessment of the current situation in the conflict zone in Ukraine, recalling its root causes, the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin stressed that achieving a just, long-term peace is possible only with full and unconditional consideration of Russia's legitimate interests. At the same time, he pointed out that the confrontational policies of the EU and NATO countries are dragging out the fighting. Putin also told his interlocutors about how the humanitarian operation in Alyoshki, Kherson region, began with the mediation of the United States.
Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov later said that the interlocutors conveyed to Vladimir Putin Vladimir Zelensky's desire to talk directly. The Russian leader repeated that if Zelensky wants direct talks, he must come to Moscow, and all conditions and security will be provided, Ushakov stressed.
The issues of security and stability in the Baltic Sea and in northern Europe were separately discussed. During the conversation, the President of Finland and the Prime Minister of Norway confirmed the importance of observing international maritime law and the principle of freedom of navigation.
The threat of conflict in the Baltic and Arctic could indeed become one of the reasons for intensifying contacts with Russia, says Egor Sergeev, a senior researcher at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies. Earlier, NATO countries detained several tankers in the Baltic Sea, allegedly because of their ties with the Russian Federation. Moscow calls such actions piracy and promises to respond.
Stubb and Gar Stere called the conversation with the Russian president frank and informative. Following the talks, the head of Finland said that a direct dialogue with Russia is needed to end the conflict in Ukraine. At the same time, both stressed that they spoke on behalf of their countries, not the whole of Europe. European politicians informed Zelensky about the results of the conversation with Putin.
The Kremlin also does not consider the telephone conversation to be a contact with representatives of the whole of Europe, said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president. He added that Norway and Finland are Russia's neighbors, and it is "very important for Moscow that these states decide to talk." However, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted, the leaders of these countries "apparently did not say anything new."
It should be recalled that consultations between representatives of Ukraine, the United States and European countries took place in Oslo, Norway, on October 20. After that, the special representative of the President of the United States, Steve Witkoff, met with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg. The result of the diplomatic activity was the agreement to resume the trilateral format of negotiations in Abu Dhabi in the first half of November.
The call between the President of Finland and the Prime Minister of Norway is connected with Europe's preparations for a new round of peace talks, according to Tigran Meloyan, an expert at the Institute of World Military Economics and Strategy at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. Such steps by the leaders of NATO and the EU countries always go through preliminary diplomatic consultations with their allies in the alliance, so it can be assumed that this initiative is coordinated with Kiev and Brussels, the expert believes.
But perhaps not all the allies knew about it, given the reaction of neighboring Denmark. "I really don't understand what these two countries think can be achieved in this way," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said.
French Ambassador to Russia Nicolas de Riviere explained to Izvestia that there is "no lack of coordination" between Oslo and Helsinki, as well as other NATO allies. According to him, "France and Russia maintain regular contacts through their embassies, including on issues related to the conflict in Ukraine."
"The French Embassy is not aware of any planned high—level contacts, but they are always possible," the diplomat said.
The leaders of Russia, Norway and Finland agreed to continue to maintain direct telephone contacts. At the same time, both countries are considered zealous supporters of Kiev. According to official data alone, Norway provided Kiev with almost €17 billion in aid, and Finland with €5 billion. The inclusion of Finland and Norway in the negotiation process indicates that even the most active supporters of Ukraine are changing their position in favor of dialogue with the Russian Federation.
It could also be influenced by the fact that both countries are neighbors of Russia. Moreover, Oslo remains in communication with Moscow on border issues and avoiding incidents in the Arctic. We should not forget that it was in Helsinki in 1975 that the final act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation was signed, which laid the foundation for the modern European security system.
The EU is looking for negotiators with Russia
Since 2022, Russia's contacts with European leaders have virtually disappeared. For some time, they were supported only by Hungary — Viktor Orban visited both Moscow and Kiev in search of ways to resolve the Ukrainian conflict. In 2023, Slovakia was added to the list of contacting states: Robert Fico visited Moscow several times. On October 26, 2026, the head of the Slovak Foreign Ministry, Juraj Blanar, also visited the Russian capital. He took part in the work of the bilateral intergovernmental commission.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and German Foreign Minister Johann Vadefuhl during a meeting on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
However, Vladimir Putin's communication with the leaders of Norway and Finland may indicate a change in trend in Europe: they are beginning to realize that without dialogue, the conflict will not be resolved. In the summer, German Foreign Minister Johann Vadefuhl met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the UN General Assembly. These negotiations were the first contacts of diplomats of this level since 2022. In June, even EC President Ursula von der Leyen said that the European Union "needs to prepare for a dialogue with Russia on Ukraine." And the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, tried to establish a diplomatic communication channel with Moscow.
In addition, there is a group of countries that, without entering into direct contact with Russia, are calling for the resumption of dialogue in order to reduce tensions on the continent. Bulgaria became a typical example of this position after Rumen Radev came to power. In addition, Czech Prime Minister Andrei Babis also spoke about the importance of contacts with Moscow.
According to Western media, the EU is currently discussing a scenario with the appointment of a special representative of the association for dialogue with the Russian Federation. According to The Telegraph, Stubb and Gar Stere are also being considered for the role. At the same time, according to Fernand Kartheiser, a member of the European Parliament from Luxembourg, the EU may eventually appoint several people who will conduct a dialogue with Russia on behalf of the European Union.
— The issue of appointing one or more negotiators is currently being discussed in the EU Council. The positions of the member states differ greatly: some are still skeptical about the very principle of negotiations, while others, in particular Slovakia, are striving to normalize bilateral relations with Russia as much as possible. In these circumstances, the appointment of more than one negotiator could better reflect the diversity of views within the EU," he told Izvestia.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb meets with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gar Sture at the government office in Oslo.
Theoretically, Stubb and Stere could serve as negotiators. Despite the fact that Finland, as a country, takes a rather harsh position towards the Russian Federation (restrictions on the issuance of visas, the construction of a fence on the border), President Alexander Stubb himself often makes statements that, by the standards of modern European politicians, can be called very pragmatic.
— The Finnish-Russian border has become the border between NATO and Russia. But this does not necessarily mean an iron curtain," he noted. — Russia will remain Finland's neighbor.
As for Stere, speaking about Russia, he urged Western countries to "be prepared, but not to become paranoid." However, Bulgarian MEP Petar Volgin is skeptical about the likelihood of a real dialogue between the Russian Federation and the EU.
— Over the past almost five years, the European Commission could have put forward peace initiatives and appointed a special envoy or envoys to conduct peace negotiations. However, she did neither. That's why I think the current official conversations on this topic are just an attempt to throw dust in people's eyes," he said.
Egor Sergeev also notes that it is too early to talk about the full-fledged entry of European countries into negotiations. This is indicated by the lack of specific constructive proposals. But if negotiations do take place, then the most likely scenario is a landing of European leaders, as it was in late 2021 and early 2022, the political scientist believes.
Russian Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said earlier that dialogue with Europe is necessary because it supports Kiev. Dmitry Peskov also spoke earlier about openness to negotiations with Europe.
At the same time, the further development of events largely depends on the relations between Europe and the United States. Many European countries continue to focus on Washington. By the way, the Finnish president has a good relationship with Donald Trump. If the American leader can encourage other European countries to follow his example, then the dialogue between Russia and Europe may have prospects.
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