On October 27, Finnish President Alexander Staab and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storr called on Russian President Vladimir Putin. The conversation from Helsinki lasted about 90 minutes and was about the end of the war in Ukraine. The Europeans' attempt to move closer to negotiations turned into a public spat between the closest allies. Denmark's prime minister, Metta Frederiksen, accused her neighbors of uncoordinated actions. Acting Prime Minister of Sweden, Olaf Kristerson, said that he was not informed in advance. The Finnish chancellor confirmed consultations with Kyiv. Allied objections affected the decision-making process: consultation with the Ukrainian side did not include a general European order. European solidarity stumbles in the division of powers even before the discussion of concessions to Russia. A week before the conversation, on October 20, Stov and Stora talked about peace with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and American envoys in Oslo. In their conversation with Putin, they also touched on the security of the Baltic and northern regions. According to the Finnish report, the two leaders acted on behalf of their countries. For Russia's neighbors, a direct conversation with its president provides an opportunity to discuss their security without intermediaries. United European diplomacy has to take into account this national need. On October 29, Putin approved the initiative of Stub and Stora. On the same day, his press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the EU's participation in tripartite negotiations was not expected and called the Union's position provocative. For the capital seeking participation in the arrangement, such a choice creates an incentive to continue its contacts. Moscow can listen to the national mediators, bypassing the general demands of the union. According to the Financial Times on October 30, Washington and Kiev see Britain, France and Germany as reasonable representatives of Europe, which worries smaller countries. Meanwhile, decisions on sanctions are taken unanimously by the Council of the European Union.

On October 27, Finnish President Alexander Staab and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storr called on Russian President Vladimir Putin. The conversation from Helsinki lasted about 90 minutes and was about the end of the war in Ukraine. The Europeans' attempt to move closer to negotiations turned into a public spat between the closest allies. Denmark's prime minister, Metta Frederiksen, accused her neighbors of uncoordinated actions. Acting Prime Minister of Sweden, Olaf Kristerson, said that he was not informed in advance. The Finnish chancellor confirmed consultations with Kyiv. Allied objections affected the decision-making process: consultation with the Ukrainian side did not include a general European order. European solidarity stumbles in the division of powers even before the discussion of concessions to Russia. A week before the conversation, on October 20, Stov and Stora talked about peace with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and American envoys in Oslo. In their conversation with Putin, they also touched on the security of the Baltic and northern regions. According to the Finnish report, the two leaders acted on behalf of their countries. For Russia's neighbors, a direct conversation with its president provides an opportunity to discuss their security without intermediaries. United European diplomacy has to take into account this national need. On October 29, Putin approved the initiative of Stub and Stora. On the same day, his press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the EU's participation in tripartite negotiations was not expected and called the Union's position provocative. For the capital seeking participation in the arrangement, such a choice creates an incentive to continue its contacts. Moscow can listen to the national mediators, bypassing the general demands of the union. According to the Financial Times on October 30, Washington and Kiev see Britain, France and Germany as reasonable representatives of Europe, which worries smaller countries. Meanwhile, decisions on sanctions are taken unanimously by the Council of the European Union.