Norwegian PM does not rule out new conversation with Putin

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has not ruled out that he and Finnish President Alexander Stubb could hold another telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The head of the Norwegian government said this in an interview with the Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

“I am very glad that Norway and Finland took on this challenge, and I do not rule out that we will have a new conversation,” Støre said.

He also spoke about the meeting of the prime ministers of the Nordic countries with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which took place on Tuesday in Copenhagen. According to him, the participants discussed the course of the ongoing negotiations to end the war and further support for Kyiv.

“We are among the most significant participants in supporting Ukraine. It is important that we met to discuss both the current negotiations and the direction of support, especially now when Ukraine is facing a difficult winter,” Støre said.

The Norwegian prime minister said that Zelensky informed the meeting participants about the first day of negotiations between the delegations of Ukraine, Russia and the United States, held in Abu Dhabi. The Ukrainian president also stressed the need to determine a representative of Europe to participate in future negotiations.

Assessing the prospects of the negotiation process, Støre noted that he sees attempts to achieve further progress in the settlement.

“I have the impression that a serious attempt is being made to move several steps further,” Støre said after the conversation with Zelensky.

The previous conversation took place on October 27 at the initiative of Oslo and Helsinki and lasted an hour and a half. Following its results, Støre said that Putin was “rational.” At the same time, some European leaders criticized this telephone conversation.