NATO countries hold rare call with Vladimir Putin as leaders discuss ending Ukraine war– www.mirror.co.uk

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told Russia’s Vladimir Putin of the ‘enormous human and material costs’ of the war in Ukraine in a rare call

The leaders of two NATO countries have held “frank” conversations with Vladimir Putin over ending the war in Ukraine.

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke to their Russian counterpart on a joint call this afternoon – marking a rare example of direct contact between EU leaders and the Kremlin chief.

The call, which was scheduled for 20 minutes but lasted over an hour and a half, saw the two Nordic leaders stress the importance of “de-escalation” in the war amid the “enormous human and material costs”.

Putin is said to have told them that peace is only possible if “Russia’s interests are fully and unconditionally taken into account.”