Norway's Støre Rejects Financial Times Account of 90 Minute Putin Call

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre rejected a Financial Times report claiming Vladimir Putin dominated a recent phone conversation. Speaking to Norwegian media outlet TV 2 on Wednesday, Støre said the participants spoke for roughly equal amounts of time during the ninety minute call. He stated that the newspaper's characterization of the exchange did not correspond to reality.

Støre and Finnish President Alexander Stubb spoke with Putin on Tuesday, October 27. The leaders aimed to explore de-escalation opportunities and establish a European channel for dialogue. Støre described the session as a mutual exchange of positions rather than a one sided monologue. He noted that the group spent time outlining their views and requesting feedback from the other side.

The Financial Times published an article stating that Putin spent almost the entire duration explaining the initial reasons for the conflict with Ukraine. Støre disputed this account directly. He said Putin requested the opportunity to set out his version of the current situation. In that context, the Russian leader reviewed history from 2014 to the present day. Støre added that the claim Putin gave a lecture on Slavic history was simply not true.

Støre addressed the issue of time allocation specifically. He said the call lasted an hour and a half. An interpreter was present, which consumed part of the total time for translation. Støre believed the speaking time was distributed fairly evenly. He concluded that both sides likely spent about the same amount of time on the phone.

Norwegian newspaper VG contacted the Financial Times regarding the dispute. A spokesperson for the FT refused to make any changes to the article. The spokesperson stated that the outlet stands by its journalism. The FT did not wish to comment further on the matter or clarify the sources of its information.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the diplomatic developments on Wednesday, October 28. He said there are indications Russia is serious about a meeting of negotiating teams in Abu Dhabi. The planned trilateral meeting of technical teams from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in early November depends on the American side. Paula Pinho, chief spokesperson for the European Commission, stated that the Commission was informed in advance about the phone call.