Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. After the talks, the two Scandinavian leaders contacted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Putin's phone calls were announced by the presidency in Helsinki. A little earlier “Bloomberg“ reported that the Russian president planned to discuss with Stubb and Støre the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine. At the time, the Kremlin said that it could neither confirm nor deny the information.
The Finnish president described his conversation with Putin as “frank and substantive“. “We are neighbors with Russia. The outcome of the war will have a direct impact on us and European security more broadly. Ending the war requires direct discussions“, Stubb said.
Talks before the Abu Dhabi talks
A Zelensky adviser said that the Ukrainian president spoke with Stubb and Støre after their phone calls with Putin. The Finnish presidency said that Stubb's conversation with the Russian leader was related to the upcoming new round of talks on Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was ready to resume talks with Ukraine with the mediation of the United States. According to him, the next round is planned for November in Abu Dhabi.
Stubb and Støre participated in a meeting with Zelensky and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo last week. The next day, Witkoff left for St. Petersburg for consultations with Putin.
Parallel ceasefire in Oleshki
Meanwhile, the Kremlin reported that so far there have been no violations of the ceasefire that has come into force in the area of the Russian-controlled Ukrainian town of Oleshki.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had stopped shelling in the direction of Kherson at 4:00 Moscow time to prepare for a humanitarian operation in Oleshki. Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubynets confirmed that the Ukrainian side had begun the ceasefire at the same time.
Oleski is located on the east bank of the Dnieper in Kherson Oblast, most of which is occupied by Russian forces. According to the information provided, about 2,000 people are blocked in the town without access to food and medicine. The evacuation has been hampered by landmines and drone attacks in the area.
The White House said that US First Lady Melania Trump helped broker a local ceasefire in Oleshki.
Sources: bta.bg