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Finland and Norway held a 90-minute call with Vladimir Putin to explore ways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. HELSINKI – Finland’s president and Norway’s prime minister held a “frank and substantive” discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct 27 about efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Speaking to reporters in Helsinki, where Nordic leaders are meeting, Store said the 90-minute call highlighted “big differences in views” on Ukraine. Stubb confirmed the talks with Zelensky in a social media post and commented: “Finland and Norway will continue to support Ukraine, and the efforts to find a just resolution.”

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store called Putin from Helsinki on Tuesday to convey messages on future negotiations ahead of the Abu Dhabi meetings, according to a statement from both governments.

Meanwhile, Finland’s president and Norway’s prime minister spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, officials said. It was their first known direct contact since shortly after Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24, 2022. After their conversation with Putin, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to Zelensky’s office.

Finland's President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre have held a joint call with Vladimir Putin - a rare contact between the Russian president and European leaders. The Ukrainian leader said he was grateful for the "active support" of his Finnish and Norwegian counterparts. Tuesday's phone call was held from the Finnish capital Helsinki. "Finland and Norway border Russia," Stubb and Støre said.

Finland and Norway have called Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, drawing Danish criticism. Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticized Finland's and Norway's leaders on Tuesday after they held a joint phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine. Frederiksen said Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre had gone “solo.” “I'm very sceptical about this Norwegian and Finnish initiative. It hasn't been coordinated with any of the rest of us,” she said. Finland and Norway both border Russia and have supported Ukraine throughout the war. “Finland and Norway will continue to support Ukraine and efforts to find a just and lasting peace,” Stubb wrote on social media.

Finland’s president and Norway’s prime minister held a “frank and substantive” discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday about efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the Nordic leaders said. “The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions,” President Alexander Stubb said in a joint statement with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

Putin speaks with Norwegian and Finnish leaders.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. Moscow confirmed the call shortly after officials in Helsinki and Oslo released statements about the conversation. Stubb’s office said he and Støre initiated the call to discuss Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end the war and promote peace and stability in Europe. Both Finland and Norway said their leaders were speaking as representatives of their respective countries and did not speak on behalf of Europe as a whole.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere on Tuesday held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the war in Ukraine, Stubb's office said in a statement.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin, the Finnish president's office said.

The two defense ministers discussed the Nordic country's decision to allow nuclear weapons onto its soil as Japan weighs a similar policy shift. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Finnish counterpart, Antti Hakkanen, inspect an honor guard before their meeting at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Monday.

Kone tries to limit asset sales as it seeks Brussels’ approval for €29bn megadeal.

In the run-up to the 2026/2027 election super-cycle, similar battles will unfold in Spain, France, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Slovakia, Poland, and Italy in the next 12 months.

Echoes of the Russian-Ukrainian war in space: it appears that Russian satellites are tracking a Finnish satellite that supplies images to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

This includes the main tool of her trade: a Sako TRG-22 bolt-action rifle capable of hitting a target from a kilometre away.

The Russian satellite, Cosmos 2612, spent more than two weeks maneuvering toward ICEYE-X36, a radar satellite operated by the American arm of Finnish company ICEYE that supplies imagery to Ukraine’s military through some of its spacecraft, then shadowed it from as close as a third of a mile through the weekend of Oct. 17.

Finland has granted an operating licence for the world’s first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel. The government handed Onkalo, in western Finland, the licence on Thursday, waste management company Posiva said. “This is a great and historic day for both Posiva and Finland,” the company’s Chief Executive Officer Ilkka Poikolainen said in a statement. “Before final disposal begins, Posiva will finalise the commissioning stage, carrying out the necessary tests and inspections which STUK [the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority] also needs to verify and approve.” With space for 6,500 tonnes of uranium, Onkalo will provide permanent storage for spent fuel from Finland’s five nuclear reactors. Final repositories are being built in other countries, including neighbouring Sweden and France, but Finland is expected to be the first to open its underground storage facility.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo take part in the Ukrainian-Finnish Business Forum in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine [File: Genya Savilov/AFP]. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday that his country has agreed to partner with Finnish firms to develop the system. Zelenskyy reported on Friday that he had agreed with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo that “[Ukraine] will use more of Finland’s satellite capabilities. This is important for our defence, for Ukraine’s resilience. We agreed on this with Nokia and ICEYE. Thank you for the willingness to support our logistics and energy sector – these are key targets for Russia right now.” The Finnish companies signed a letter of intent with the Ukrainian Defence Ministry during Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s visit to Kyiv on Thursday, the DPA news agency reported.