​Pragmatic or pointless? Europe’s rift over whether to pick up the phone to Putin

The Nordic countries rarely fall out in public over foreign policy, least of all over Russia. But a 90-minute phone call this week to Vladimir Putin by the leaders of Finland and Norway drew an unusual rebuke from their Danish and Swedish neighbours.

On Tuesday, Finland's president Alexander Stubb and Norway's prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke with Putin, in a rare high-level conversation between the Russian leader and Ukraine's European allies. The two Nordic leaders stressed that the call had been conducted on Ukraine's behalf and that allies had been informed in advance.

Nordic rift

Their neighbors were not convinced. Denmark's prime minister Mette Frederiksen expressed skepticism, saying: I am very sceptical about this independent initiative by Norway and Finland. I honestly don't know what they think they can achieve by this. Sweden's Ulf Kristersson also criticized the initiative, noting he had not been informed beforehand.

The friction offered a glimpse of the divisions threatening to complicate Europe's attempts to establish its own channel to Moscow, as governments struggle to agree not only on whether to engage Putin but also on who should speak on their behalf.

European confusion

Since the summer, European leaders have been discussing whether to appoint a representative to negotiate directly with Moscow on ending the war in Ukraine. The debate has grown more urgent as Donald Trump has moved closer to Moscow at Ukraine's expense, with a new round of peace talks expected in Abu Dhabi next month.

This year, British, French and German ambassadors have held talks with Russian officials, Emmanuel Macron's senior diplomatic adviser has travelled to Moscow, and the office of the European Council president António Costa has pursued its own engagement with the Kremlin.

Analysts blamed some of the fallout from the Stubb/Støre call on mixed messages about its purpose. Initially framed as conveying Ukrainian messages to Putin, the call appeared to have broader aims, with Støre citing shared fish stocks and border security, while Stubb mentioned preventing misunderstandings.

Who should lead?

France has long advocated keeping a channel to Putin open, while Germany and Britain have been more cautious. The Baltic states and Kaja Kallas fear that renewed high-level engagement could ease pressure on Moscow without securing concessions.

Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's foreign minister, recalled facing criticism from European colleagues for maintaining phone contact with Putin. "Some colleagues told me: who is the Luxembourgish prime minister to speak to the president of Russia and the president of Ukraine? You are such a small country," he said.

For now, no single figure has a clear mandate to negotiate on behalf of the EU's 27 member states. Kallas lacks independent authority to negotiate on behalf of the bloc without a mandate from member states, and Moscow has placed her on a wanted list.

Putin's strategy

Beyond the question of who should speak to Putin lies a more basic question: whether there is any point in Europe talking to him at all. Analysts warned that Putin might interpret Europe's renewed interest as a sign that Ukraine and its allies were growing desperate.

According to the Financial Times, Putin spent part of the conversation lecturing the Nordic leaders on medieval Slavic history, repeating pseudo-historical arguments that have long been used to question Ukraine's right to exist as an independent state.

Moscow has appeared more willing to entertain European involvement in diplomacy since US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in St Petersburg last week. However, experts cautioned that Putin's willingness to take the call should not be mistaken for readiness to compromise.