Norway and Finland place themselves in the line of fire

Prime Ministers Store and Stubb are putting their respective countries in great danger by defending Ukraine’s rights in peace negotiations with Russia. They have fallen into Trump’s trap and believe that US support lies with Russia. The result could be catastrophic.

October 27, 2026

SOURCES | INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Jonas Gahr Store and Alexander Stubb in talks with Putin, photo: Emmi Syrjäniemi / Office of the President of the Republic of Finland

Talked with Putin

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store says that he and the Prime Minister of Finland, Alexander Stubb, have had a 90-minute conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin today. Store describes the conversation as structured and professional.

The conversation comes as a follow-up to the talks that took place in Oslo last week and as preparation for planned peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi in mid-November. Store and Stubb hosted the aforementioned meeting in Oslo at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump sent his special envoy and peace negotiator Steve Witkoff to the meeting. The latter went straight to a meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg and returned via Oslo for a brief meeting at the airport to update Store. Few details of the talks have emerged, but it has been confirmed that occupied territories and future security guarantees are among the topics.

Store further states that today’s conversation came after consultation with Zelenskyy yesterday, and that Norway and Finland defend Ukraine’s right to defend itself and will contribute to ending the war in a diplomatic, just and lasting manner.

Store makes Norway a party to the Ukraine conflict

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen criticises Store and Stubb for holding talks with Putin on their own and believes it contributes to dividing Europe. Store, for his part, says that the allies were informed in advance and that they have also given a thorough update after the conversation. Store further points out that Norway and Finland border Russia and need to convey their own views to Russia.

Store levels indirect criticism at the US when he says that the American administration has held talks with Russia about Ukraine - without Ukraine’s participation, and that it is important that other voices are heard. He adds that his impression is that Russia is preparing thoroughly for the upcoming peace negotiations in Abu Dhabi and that Norway and Finland will contribute to the Ukrainian preparations. At the same time, Store admits that the positions are far apart.

With these statements, Store makes Norway a party to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Norway is already an important piece in the conflict between the US and the EU, a conflict rooted in access to Norwegian mineral resources and related to the conflict over Greenland. The conflict over Greenland was resolved in September with an agreement that benefits the US more than Greenland, read more here.

Norway rejected the US in favour of the EU

As early as March 2025, the Norwegian government made a strategic choice to choose the EU over political and economic trade cooperation with the US, this has led Norway into a very difficult and dangerous geopolitical situation, read more here. Norway’s relationship with the US is now at a historic low and Donald Trump yesterday referred to Norway as a shithole country.

Through today’s statements, Store has put Norway in even greater danger, both by criticising American diplomacy and by making Norway a party to the war between Ukraine and Russia. It does little good that Store and Stubb regard themselves as diplomatic supporters of Ukraine when the counterparts, Putin and Trump, are authoritarian leaders who value only military power.

The US decides Europe’s fate

Society and Politics has on several occasions argued that Jonas Gahr Store should build a bridge between the US and the EU. With its strategic location in the Arctic and sought-after natural resources, Norway is in a unique position to resolve the ongoing conflict. This by entering into a minerals and defence agreement with the US that would also benefit the EU. This solution may be the only opportunity the EU has to access sufficiently large supplies of critical minerals from the European continent. The EU now risks being locked into mineral supplies from the communist, human-rights-violating dictatorship of China for the foreseeable future. This situation poses a significantly greater threat to Europe’s democratic existence than the current and temporary American administration does. Although a number of European leaders refuse to accept reality, it is the US that decides the future of Ukraine, Finland, Norway and the rest of Europe vis-à-vis Russia.

Will have consequences for Norway and Finland

Store and Stubb’s actions may be an expression of unrealistic faith in their own diplomatic abilities, an inability to read the geopolitical power struggle, a lack of strategic ability or sheer desperation. Either way, they have played themselves into a situation that benefits the US, divides Europe and enables Donald Trump to force through individual agreements. Exactly as the American administration has planned for it to play out.

It is more likely that Store and Stubb’s diplomacy will lead Norway to an ultimatum from the US than to peace in Ukraine. As for Finland, it is uncertain whether the country has sufficient strategic value for an ultimatum, it may be handed over - in the worst case to Russia.