Putin remains intent on capturing all of Donbas — Reuters

President Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a phone call with the leaders of Finland and Norway that Moscow would not abandon its intention to seize all of Ukraine’s Donbas. A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters about his response.

The call took place on Tuesday, October 27. It was initiated by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who urged the Russian president to end the war against Ukraine. After hearing his position on Donbas, they stressed the need for a just peace, the source told the news agency.

The Kremlin’s official statement about the call also showed no readiness to make concessions. It said that a just and lasting peace would require the full and unconditional consideration of Russia’s interests. At the same time, it blamed European Union and NATO countries for prolonging the fighting.

Following the call, Alexander Stubb and Jonas Gahr Støre issued a joint statement. The Finnish president described the conversation as frank and substantive. He emphasized that its outcomes directly concern the security of Finland, Norway and all of Europe, and that ending the war requires direct negotiations.

The Norwegian prime minister focused on the enormous human and material losses, saying their consequences would be felt by future generations. Støre also noted that they had stressed the importance of de-escalation during the dialogue.

The leaders reaffirmed their countries’ continued support for Ukraine and clarified the limits of their representation: they spoke with Putin on behalf of their own countries, not all of Europe. Their next contact after the call was with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The initiative drew criticism from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. In a comment to Danish broadcaster DR, she said she saw no evidence that Russia was ready for peace. In her view, European countries should act together rather than hold such contacts separately.

Reuters describes the diplomatic backdrop to the call in terms of changing relations between Western European countries and Moscow. Since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, their leaders have mostly avoided direct conversations with Putin and tightened sanctions against Russia. However, the news agency notes, this has also reduced their involvement in the diplomatic efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to Reuters, the last leader to speak with the Russian president by phone before this call was French President Emmanuel Macron, in July. A source told the news agency that the conversation was not publicly announced and produced no results.

In October, Vladimir Putin also agreed to supply Russian diesel fuel to the United States, the article notes. Meanwhile, Donald Trump eased some sanctions against Russia and said it was time for Ukraine to change its president.

Ukraine has also reported disruptions to intelligence sharing with the United States and to access to Starlink satellite internet, which Ukrainian troops use.

Against the backdrop of deteriorating relations between Washington and Kyiv, Stubb and Støre’s call was intended to help them influence the negotiations, according to Reuters.

We previously reported:

• Putin said he was ready for negotiations and threatened to achieve all the goals of the war
• Putin proposed that Trump and Xi decide Ukraine’s fate without Ukraine or Europe — WSJ
• Putin has no plans for peace talks without seizing the rest of Donbas — Reuters
• Russian diesel to enter the U.S. market: Trump and Putin agree on supplies
• Russia demands all of Donbas: Rubio sees little prospect of ending the war through negotiations