Putin Talks Proceed as Russian Strikes Hit Kyiv

Russian strikes on Kyiv killed one person and injured eight on Tuesday, damaging medical facilities, including an intensive care unit, as Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin and urged him to end the invasion and resume negotiations. The diplomacy moved forward while civilians faced attacks and rescue crews continued work.

Talks Without a Ceasefire

Stubb and Støre initiated the call in consultation with Ukraine. They discussed the war and anticipated trilateral talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in November. The Nordic leaders said they spoke for their own countries, not as representatives of Europe as a whole.

“The discussion was frank and substantive,” Stubb said. “We are neighbouring countries to Russia. The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions.” Støre said the war carried “enormous human and material costs” and that “the suffering and destruction will impact generations.” He said the leaders stressed de-escalation.

Stubb and Støre told Putin Norway and Finland would continue supporting Ukraine. They also discussed stability in the Baltic Sea region and the High North. Zelenskyy later said they had told Putin that “real de-escalatory steps are needed regarding our energy and infrastructure.” He thanked them for their “active” diplomatic support and said, “Russia must stop dragging out the war.”

The call followed an Oct. 20 meeting in Oslo involving the Nordic leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff. Senior officials from Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the European Commission and NATO attended. Russia wasn't represented. Witkoff travelled to Russia the following day to meet Putin.

A senior EU official said a round of talks in Europe was expected before the Abu Dhabi meeting. Brussels has expressed readiness for European and Russian officials to sit at the same negotiating table, while the European Commission and European Council are working on a combined team to represent the EU position. The two institutions were reportedly informed in advance of the Nordic leaders’ call.

European Unity, Russian Conditions

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen questioned the outreach. “I actually don't know what they think you can achieve with this,” she said. Frederiksen said it was important that “we Europeans stand together” when others travelled to Moscow, and described herself as “very sceptical” of the call. Stubb and Støre said they were acting as national leaders, not as a special European envoy. The question of a single European envoy has divided countries for more than a year. Politico reported that two EU officials said European Council President António Costa had been told about the planned call in advance.

Putin told the Nordic leaders, according to the Kremlin’s account, that “achieving a just, long-term peace is only possible with full and unconditional consideration of the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation.” The Kremlin said the sides exchanged views on what it called the “Ukrainian crisis,” taking into account Putin’s talks with Witkoff. Russian state news agency TASS confirmed the call and reported that the leaders reaffirmed the importance of international maritime law and freedom of navigation.

The planned talks haven't stopped military action. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said three-way talks wouldn't restrict either side’s military actions, and said Russia and Ukraine continued striking each other despite plans to resume negotiations in Abu Dhabi or Switzerland in a couple of weeks.

Civilians Under Fire

Zelenskyy said a ballistic missile struck a university campus late Monday. “The missiles hit very crowded areas, and there is not a single military facility nearby. This was a strike directly on the city, on its infrastructure,” he said. A separate account said the attack killed at least one person and injured 10, including students at a dormitory; nine people were being treated in hospital, three in serious condition. The attack hit an educational institution, residences, an underground station and medical facilities. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the fatality was near a supermarket. Zelenskyy said rescue operations were continuing and the number of casualties wasn't yet known.

Russia and Ukraine also began a localised ceasefire around Russian-occupied Oleshky in southern Kherson Oblast, allowing humanitarian aid deliveries and civilian evacuations amid acute shortages of food, water and medicine. Russia's Defence Ministry said it stopped shelling toward Kherson from 4 a.m. Moscow time on Tuesday. Ukraine's parliament commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets, confirmed the ceasefire and said, “As head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, I confirm that the Ukrainian side is honouring its commitments.” The arrangement was local, not a wider ceasefire.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said a new United Nations report found that Moscow had committed “crimes against humanity.” The commission said Russian authorities attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure during freezing temperatures last winter, creating “intolerable” living conditions. Diplomats can arrange another table. The strikes and the shortages remain part of the same war.