Oslo rejects FT account of Putin call as talks focus on Abu Dhabi

European leaders recently engaged in high-level diplomatic talks with the Kremlin to test the waters for a potential ceasefire. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has now publicly disputed a recent media report regarding the nature of those discussions.

On Tuesday, October 27, Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Their stated objective was to explore de-escalation options and create a European channel for dialogue. The Financial Times subsequently published a report claiming Putin used nearly the entire duration of the call to provide historical context for the war.

Støre rejected that characterization in an interview with Norwegian broadcaster TV 2. He stated, "That is not true," and added that his team requested a correction because the account "does not correspond to reality." Støre explained that Putin asked to present his version of current events. In doing so, Putin reviewed developments from 2014 to the present. Støre argued that this review was not a lecture on Slavic history.

The prime minister also disputed the idea that Putin dominated the conversation. He noted the call lasted one hour and thirty minutes. Because an interpreter was present, translation consumed a portion of that time. Støre said, "Therefore, I believe the time was distributed fairly evenly." He added that both sides used roughly the same amount of time, as the European leaders also outlined their positions and sought responses.

The dispute over the call's content has not been resolved. The Norwegian newspaper VG contacted the Financial Times about the disagreement. A spokesperson for the British paper said, "We stand by our journalism." The Financial Times declined to clarify the sources behind its original report.

The phone call has influenced the diplomatic timeline in Kyiv. On October 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the conversation indicated Russia was serious about meeting negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi. He added that a planned trilateral meeting of technical teams from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in early November depends on the American side.

The European Commission also confirmed its role in the process. Chief spokesperson Paula Pinho stated that the Commission had been informed in advance about the phone call between the European leaders and the Russian president.