In brief
Shorter — Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Store and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen broke a brief link over the 90‑minute Oslo‑based call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, arguing that the session was not properly coordinated with Denmark or other European allies. Store insisted Norway had consulted partners and that the meeting was aimed at diplomatic cease‑fire outreach for Ukraine, while Frederiksen challenged the initiative’s lack of transparency.
In Oslo on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, Jonas Gahr Store, the Norwegian prime minister, said he had spoken with his Danish neighbour, Mette Frederiksen, to explain why the two leaders held different views regarding a joint Norwegian‑Finnish call with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.
The 90‑minute conversation that took place on Tuesday, recorded in Oslo, brought together Store, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, and President Putin. The meeting focused on diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine and promote peace and stability across Europe, according to the Norwegian prime minister’s office.
Background of the Call
The Oslo‑based discussion came after a series of talks in the city on Oct. 20 that were specifically intended “to give a diplomatic signal to Crimea and Ukraine,” the Norwegian office said. Norwegian officials framed the call as a bilateral effort carried out in keeping with earlier consultations with the Ukrainian government.
Store told the Norwegian business daily Dagens Naeringsliv that his briefing had been coordinated with other key partners. The text of the interview reported that he spoke with his Danish colleague, telling her plainly that, “We had a good phone conversation yesterday and agreed that we have different views on that particular call.”
Reactions from Denmark
Frederiksen criticized the initiative in the same Xinhua piece, saying the call “had not been coordinated with Denmark or other European allies.” She said she was “unaware of what Norway and Finland believed the call could achieve.” The Copenhagen head of state underscored the need for an agreed European position before such discussions.
Store rebutted the Danish criticism by saying that Norway’s closest partners and allies had been consulted beforehand and briefed afterwards. The Norwegian home office emphasized that Store and Stubb had participated as the heads of their nations, not as European representatives, a detail that the Danish mystery illuminated.
Both leaders pressed on the fact that the call had taken place “in consultation with Ukraine.” That alone was a potential bridge between Russian ambition and European unity, according to the Norwegian prime minister’s office. Without a formal European endorsement, however, Frederiksen felt the opportunity for signaled “peace” was limited.
The meeting’s outcome is still unknown, as no public statements have been issued by either side since the conversation. A Norwegian official called for “continued dialogue” between Washington, Brussels, and Russia, reinforcing the country’s willingness to pursue intermediated negotiations.
Because Oslo is a hub for diplomatic ties between Norway, Finland, and Denmark, the disagreement has attracted the eye of the broader European Council. It remains to be seen whether the Danish prime minister will push for a “joint statement” before the next EU summit, which takes place in Brussels in the middle of next month.
For now, the two prime ministers have agreed to keep lines of communication open. However, the discussion has highlighted a broader issue of coordination between Nordic nations on Russian relations, putting the conversation back into mainstream political debate across European capitals.
