Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre held a joint call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, the first direct communication between European leaders and Putin in over a year. The offices of both countries stated that the call aimed to explore "future negotiations to help end the war in Ukraine." Putin, however, claimed that the "confrontational" policies of the EU and NATO are prolonging the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken with both leaders to discuss upcoming trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi in November. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed "great skepticism" about the dialogue, stating that it was "not coordinated with any other country."