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

World news | The Guardian

By: Pjotr Sauer

29 October 2026 at 15:55

With no single European representative negotiating directly with Moscow, some leaders are establishing their own channels – with messy results

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.

Continue reading...

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

By: Pjotr Sauer

29 October 2026 at 15:55

With no single European representative negotiating directly with Moscow, some leaders are establishing their own channels – with messy results

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.

Continue reading...

European Leaders Split Over Phone Call to Putin

NYT > Top Stories

By: Jeffrey Gettleman · Paul Sonne and Jeanna Smialek

27 October 2026 at 23:49

The diplomatic outreach was part of an effort to push talks to end the war in Ukraine, though it was not welcomed by all European leaders.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Moscow on Friday.