Finland's President calls Putin talk candid, stresses need for direct peace talks

Finland's President described his phone call with Vladimir Putin as frank and substantive, emphasizing that direct negotiations are necessary to end the war, Reuters reports. The call by the Finnish leader and Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre came ahead of preparations for a trilateral Russia-US-Ukraine summit in Abu Dhabi. "We are Russia's neighbors. The outcome of this war will directly affect our security and the security of Europe as a whole. Direct negotiations are needed to end the war." The politicians noted they spoke to Putin solely on behalf of their own countries, not Europe as a whole, and reaffirmed continued support for Kyiv. However, these calls have already triggered a diplomatic rift in Northern Europe—Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen strongly criticized her counterparts for acting separately, stating: "Europe must stand together, not act individually."