Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storr met with a former senior Russian official in Oslo in the summer of 2026. Bloomberg reports this citing a source. According to the agency's interlocutor, the former Russian official told Lester that Europe should talk to Vladimir Putin, not issue ultimatums. According to Bloomberg, this was part of the "back office work" Stora and Finnish President Alexander Staab are doing to pave the way for major European powers to participate in negotiations on a Ukrainian settlement. Two of the agency's interlocutors claim that the teamwork strategy of the leaders of Norway and Finland allows them to "accept each other" and take some of the pressure off during difficult negotiations. RBC channel at max.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storr met with a former senior Russian official in Oslo in the summer of 2026. Bloomberg reports this citing a source. According to the agency's interlocutor, the former Russian official told Lester that Europe should talk to Vladimir Putin, not issue ultimatums. According to Bloomberg, this was part of the "back office work" Stora and Finnish President Alexander Staab are doing to pave the way for major European powers to participate in negotiations on a Ukrainian settlement. Two of the agency's interlocutors claim that the teamwork strategy of the leaders of Norway and Finland allows them to "accept each other" and take some of the pressure off during difficult negotiations. RBC channel at max.