Putin talks for 90 minutes to Nordic leaders

Ninety minutes. That is how long Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on October 27. The call was expected to last less than 30 minutes. It stretched three times that duration.

The Financial Times reported that Putin used most of that time to discuss the background of the conflict with Ukraine. Three sources familiar with the call told the newspaper that the Russian leader delivered a long monologue. He focused on what the Kremlin calls the initial reasons for the war. The outlet described the speech as a lecture on medieval Slavic history.

Ukraine’s main demand for a peace process is an immediate ceasefire. Sources said that topic was barely touched during the conversation. One source noted that Stubb and Støre chose not to interrupt Putin. They wanted to gauge how seriously he was approaching dialogue with Europe.

This was the first direct contact between Putin and a European ally of Ukraine since July 2025. At that time, he spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron. The Kremlin’s own account stated that Putin reminded Stubb and Støre of the root causes of the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Nordic leaders discussed steps to de-escalate the war. He pointed to conversations about Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed that the call had been coordinated with the Ukrainian side.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed high skepticism about the outcome. She said the call had not been coordinated with other European countries. Her comments contrasted with the confirmation from Kyiv regarding prior coordination.

Putin has delivered similar extended historical speeches in the past. In 2025, he spoke at length about the history of Ukraine during a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska. Reports from that event said Trump grew angry and threatened to walk out.