Call to the Devil: How European Allies Are Trying to Secure a Seat at the Negotiating Table – and Why They're Failing

On October 27, 2026, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a telephone conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The parties discussed diplomatic ways to end the war in Ukraine, and the Russian president, for his part, did not miss the chance to once again lecture on an alternative version of history – a topic no one had asked him about.

This was not the first time European leaders had communicated directly with the Kremlin leader; there had been similar attempts in the past. At the same time, this was the first direct contact of the leaders of Finland and Norway with the Kremlin leader since March 2022, when Jonas Gahr Støre, at the height of the full-scale invasion, called Putin demanding an end to the war and the withdrawal of troops from Ukrainian territory.

24 Channel analyzed the subject of the European leaders’ conversation with the Kremlin leader and why, after a long hiatus, Europe is trying to take its place at the negotiating table.

An alternative history from lecturer Putin

Alexander Stubb and Jonas Gahr Støre had been preparing for this call for a long time. It was no secret – at least not to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – as he himself revealed.

Clearly, the leaders of Finland and Norway – whose countries are also neighbors of Russia – are now justifiably concerned about security issues and called not only regarding Ukraine but also to understand Russia’s plans concerning their own countries. The Russians, incidentally, recently reaffirmed their position on NATO’s withdrawal to the 1997 borders, which directly affects Finland – a member of the Alliance starting in 2023. However, Norway – a founding member of NATO – should not rest easy either. Russia has long had its eye on its territory (not just on Svalbard Archipelago and not just in the fictional world of the TV series *Okkupert*).

It also appears that Stubb and Støre planned to assert their autonomy to Putin and remind him of Europe’s right to its own seat at the negotiating table – a right that Europe, where the war is actually taking place, is currently deprived of. There are several reasons for this. First, Putin views the situation as a proxy war between “great powers,” while Europe long ago ceded that status to the U.S. in exchange for a nuclear umbrella and a comfortable life. Now, with the enemy literally at the gates once again and Trump as the guarantor of security, Europeans have suddenly realized a long-standing truth: if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu. And so they panicked and started making calls.

How Putin envisions the “grown-ups’ table” / photo – Kremlin

However, there’s another variation on the table-and-menu metaphor. It’s the so-called “kids’ table” or even “playroom.” These can be found in many restaurants and cafes and are designed so that children don’t interrupt adults as they discuss their grown-up matters. Europe has now found itself in a room much like this one, complete with coloring books and Legos. And, as it turns out, getting out of this room isn’t all that easy. Because the self-proclaimed “adults” don’t want to and pretend not to take the “younger ones’” demands seriously.

It seems this is exactly what happened during the phone call with Putin. The Financial Times, citing three sources, reported that the conversation immediately veered off the path Stubb and Støre had planned. Instead of discussing peace or even a ceasefire, Putin spent almost the entire time supposedly lecturing on “medieval Slavic history.” And although Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre denied the Financial Times’ report, it’s hard to believe that Putin the lecturer would give up his favorite “hobbyhorse.” Even if it's missing a leg.

That’s false information. We had an hour and a half. There was an interpreter, so translation was necessary. I think the time was divided fairly evenly. We probably spent about the same amount of time each. But that was also because we were presenting statements on which we were asked to give our opinions,” said Jonas Gahr Støre about his experience interacting with the Russian dictator.

Why Stubb and Støre are taking the initiative and drawing fire onto themselves

Interestingly, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen took a negative view of this diplomatic maneuver by her Nordic colleagues. Frederiksen noted that the conversation had not been coordinated with European counterparts: “Given the hybrid war that rages on every day and the situation in Ukraine, where fierce and aggressive attacks take place daily, I believe we need to preserve European unity rather than act alone.”

This statement by the Danish prime minister is somewhat at odds with the words of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who supported Stubb and Støre; however, it quite clearly highlights communication problems within the European Union.

The leaders of the Nordic countries decided to take the initiative into their own hands and act “proactively” not without reason, but because of the EU’s lengthy and bureaucratic delays in identifying candidates for the negotiations themselves. As a reminder, António Costa of Portugal had previously sought this role – and, by all accounts, on his own initiative. In the summer of 2026, his actions were called a gamble. By the fall, however, this initiative was revived during negotiations in Oslo, but this time with Ukraine’s participation.

As a reminder, on October 20, talks took place in Norway between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb were present at the talks.

Photo: Alexander Stubb’s Office

This diplomatic configuration was quite unusual, as the negotiation process on the European side had previously been led by the leaders of the so-called “European Trio”: the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. Italy was also frequently brought into the discussions, particularly when it was necessary to engage in “educational work” with Donald Trump. And Poland, too – so as not to offend them (this is the so-called E5 format).

Given domestic political issues – namely, escalation of protests, economic problems, and the overall rise of far-right forces – both Friedrich Merz and Emmanuel Macron, frankly speaking, have other priorities right now than Ukrainian negotiations. At stake is the political survival of their own parties and, more broadly, their way of life.

In September, the far-right party “Alternative for Germany” won elections to the regional parliaments in the eastern states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The results dealt a serious blow to the CDU/CSU bloc, and results like these have fueled talk of a possible future rise to power by far-right forces.

Protests in France, in fact, “dealt the final blow” to the already meager support for centrist forces. Moreover, footage depicting the “helplessness” and “weakness” of French law enforcement in the face of protesters went viral on social media and dealt a painful blow to both Macron’s approval ratings and his authority. The right-wing opposition, particularly Marine Le Pen, was quick to exploit the situation to its advantage. Against the backdrop of obvious chaos in the capital, its rhetoric appeared quite convincing to the average citizen of the republic.

Lack of EU Unity

Since Donald Trump’s return to power in 2025, it has become clear that direct negotiations with Putin are inevitable. Trump began communicating directly with the Kremlin and discussing European security issues “behind the EU’s back.” Unfortunately, the EU only realized this this year, when it began actively considering who could represent the bloc in the negotiations.

European capitals realized that “they were not at the table, but on the menu” when Trump’s representatives discussed with Russia the resumption of business cooperation and a series of economic agreements with the Kremlin. Europe realized that it was lagging behind, that peace terms could be imposed on it, and that its fate would be decided at a Moscow restaurant over a dinner between Witkoff and Dmitriev.

A Place for “Humanists” / Photo – Kremlin

The British newspaper The Telegraph wrote about five candidates who were being considered for the role of negotiators with Putin. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Czech President Petr Pavel, as well as Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Politico reported that the EU had struggled for quite some time to decide on candidates, as Putin allegedly does not view the EU as an authority. The aforementioned President of the European Council, António Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas could also have led negotiations with Russia, but Brussels never reached a consensus on a candidate (And Putin's people even hinted at Schröder), just as it failed to determine the bloc’s position on the terms of peace in Ukraine.

As the saying goes, there are as many opinions as there are EU members (27 countries). But while the Europeans were deliberating, the Americans took action and revived the trilateral negotiation format.

UAE Without the EU

It is expected that as early as November 2026, Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. will resume trilateral talks during a meeting in Abu Dhabi. At the same time, European representatives are eager to be at the negotiating table.

Photo – Office of Alexander Stubb

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has explicitly stated that Europeans must be included in the negotiation process:

First and foremost, this will be a trilateral meeting of technical teams: the United States, Russia, and Ukraine. But you know that from the very beginning, we’ve been working on how to involve Europe. We hope that, one way or another, we’ll find a way to involve Europe. After all, we’re talking about security guarantees for Ukraine. I can’t see that happening without Europe.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Kyiv is using every opportunity to advance the negotiation process, even if it means holding discussions without Europe:

Of course, I think it’s important for Europe to be there. But if the Americans say no, and this time we’ll only have a trilateral meeting, then we won’t let that opportunity to meet fall through. Because we need to move this process toward peace in any format.

The President of Ukraine added that more clarity is needed regarding who will represent Europe in the negotiations to end the war. Thus, Zelenskyy once again hinted that the Europeans themselves must first decide on their representatives.

However, it appears that Ukraine is currently the only party that wants Europe to participate in the negotiations in the UAE.

Yuri Ushakov, Assistant to the Russian President, stated that an agreement had been reached that the trilateral talks between representatives of Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. would take place without European participation.

“They can go there if they buy tickets, but no one is going to invite them to the negotiating table,” the Putinist declared with the utmost audacity.

Thus, the conversation between the leaders of Finland and Norway and Vladimir Putin reveals several things. First, many European leaders are losing patience with how long it’s taking Brussels to select its negotiators. Second, Stubb and Støre decided to take matters into their own hands, since time is clearly not on their side. Negotiations on Ukraine have entered a new phase, and Europe is still nowhere to be found at the negotiating table.

The lack of unity within the EU regarding its negotiating position or an alternative plan, the lengthy search for the “ideal candidate,” domestic political problems, and public unrest: all these factors have clearly “slowed down” Brussels’ diplomatic involvement in the negotiations and have not provided the Americans with arguments as to why the EU should indeed have a say. The sooner Brussels finalizes its negotiating positions and candidates, the better its chances will be for direct participation in the negotiation processes regarding Ukraine and European security in general.