OSLO, Oct. 29 — Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen spoke on the phone the day before to discuss a disagreement over a joint 90‑minute call Støre had held on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. The debate, which has become a focus of Nordic diplomatic press, concerns whether Denmark was consulted or informed about the meeting and whether the joint effort was coordinated with other European allies.
According to Støre’s remarks to the Norwegian business daily Dagens Naeringsliv, the two leaders had a "good phone conversation yesterday and agreed that we have different views on that particular call." The disagreement, as reported by Xinhua, centers on the fact that the Norwegian‑Finnish dialogue with Putin was not discussed with Denmark or other members of the European Union before it took place.
In his interview, Støre said Norway had consulted its key partners and allies beforehand and had briefed them following the discussion. He added that the call had taken place in consultation with Ukraine and had followed talks in Oslo on Oct. 20 that he said focused on diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine and promote peace and stability across Europe.
Frederiksen criticised the initiative, stating that the call had not been coordinated with Denmark or any other European allies. In a statement released by the Copenhagen Post, the Danish prime minister said she did not know what Norway and Finland believed the call could achieve. She argued that European countries had previously engaged in other diplomatic channels and that the joint call in question appeared to work around those agreements.
The Norwegian leader reaffirmed that Norway’s highest level leaders were invited to the call as representatives of their respective countries, not as delegates of Europe as a whole, in accordance with a statement from the Norwegian prime minister’s office. The office emphasized that the meeting was intended to promote dialogue and examine possible avenues to resolve the war, rather than represent NATO or the European Union.
The disagreement has attracted attention from international media, including the Moscow News network, which reported that the Norwegian Prime Minister had spoken with the Danish counterpart about the differing views. The putative lack of coordination with Denmark has raised questions in the Nordic region about the coherence of joint responses to Russian aggression and the extent to which smaller European nations are able to influence policy in real time.
For Oslo, the 90‑minute call with Putin was a first of its kind. While the conversation took place more than a week after the conversation that underwrote that week’s Oslo meeting with Ukrainian officials, it remains an uncommon encounter between a Russian leader and the heads of two Allied nations. Wider careers of Støre and Frederiksen differ; Støre has been prime minister since 2021, while Frederiksen has been in office since 2021, representing Denmark’s social democratic coalition.
Both leaders continue to emphasize their national interests while trying to navigate complex international relationships. If Norway and Finland can clarify the precise aims of the call, they would potentially ease concerns of Danish officials, the European Union, and other partners who question how diplomatic objectives are coordinated in the current international environment.
