Norway's Støre Defends His Call With Putin, Calling It an Illusion to Expect the War to End Without Europe Talking to Moscow, and Urges Caution on Abu Dhabi Talks

OSLO — Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre defended his October 27 phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, made jointly with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, in an interview with Politico published on November 9, saying that to live month by month believing the war will end because Europe is not talking to Moscow is, in his words, an illusion.

Støre said he and Stubb had considered the 90-minute call for months before acting and had consulted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy beforehand. The two leaders judged that the only Western voice reaching Moscow should not come from Washington alone; they maintain good relations with American negotiators but insist Europe must put its position to the Kremlin directly.

The call split European allies. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen noted it was not coordinated with the rest of them, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said words are not what bite with Putin, and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal opposed Europe positioning itself as a mediator. Politico described the fallout as the deepest rift among Nordic allies since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with the argument expected to continue at an informal EU summit in Dublin this week.

Støre described the conversation as professional and rational but said he had seen no signs that Putin genuinely wanted a deal. He insisted that NATO and Europe's security arrangements must be addressed separately from negotiations to end the war and must not become a bargaining chip with Russia, and he distanced himself from US envoy Steve Witkoff's description of Putin as a "humanitarian," saying it would not have been part of his vocabulary.

On the November 10-11 trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi, Støre called them a stepping stone that should be followed up soon, with possible topics including a Black Sea ceasefire to protect grain shipments, a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure, a freeze along the front line, prisoner exchanges and security guarantees for Ukraine.

(Source: Politico)

Source: Politico

Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：挪威首相斯特勒（左端）在2024年乌克兰—北欧峰会期间与乌方官员会谈（资料图）。Vinnytsia州行政机构摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (far left) meeting Ukrainian officials during the 2024 Ukraine-Nordic Summit (file photo), by Vinnytsia Oblast State Administration, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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