Diplomatic outreach and European skepticism
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke with Vladimir Putin on October 27 to discuss future negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. This phone call follows an October 20 meeting in Oslo which included officials from the United States, Europe, and Ukraine. While the two leaders aim to convey messages regarding de-escalation, they stressed they "did not speak he behalf of Europe as a whole" during the conversation. I find the lack of coordination with other European nations regarding this specific outreach to Moscow problematic. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed skepticism about the call to TV2; she said she does not know what the two countries think they can achieve and that Europe should stand together and speak with one voice. These discussions happen as Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. prepare for trilateral peace talks in Abu Dhabi this November. A senior EU official told the Kyiv Independent to expect a round of talks in Europe before those Abu Dhabi meetings. Finnish President Alexander Stubb said that ending the war requires direct discussions because the outcome will have a direct impact on European security.
Support for Kyiv and Russian shipping
Ukraine continues to rely on support from these neighbors. Norway remains the only non-EU country to pledge support for Kyiv’s 2027 financial needs. Finland has provided 35 different packages of financial support and its companies, Nokia and ICEye, are partnering with Ukraine to build a satellite communications system. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was "grateful for the detailed briefing" regarding the call and for the active support for his diplomacy. I find the continued movement of Russian fuel through international waters despite these peace efforts to be a significant contradiction. At least five ships carry Russian diesel to the U.S.; these consist of the Maltese-flagged Agioi Fanendes, two vessels reported by the Financial Times, and two additional ships identified by Ukraine’s sanctions chief, Vladyslav Vlasiuk. Two of these ships are sanctioned vessels from the Russian shadow fleet: the Sierra Leone-flagged tanker Leruo and the Russian-flagged Primorye. European authorities must stop these specific vessels if they enter territorial waters. In the call, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the war comes with enormous human and material costs and that the suffering and destruction will impact generations. These shipping movements coincide with reports from Russian state media TASS that the leaders reaffirmed the importance of complying with international maritime law and the principle of freedom of navigation.
