Poland backs diplomatic efforts to end Ukraine war: FM spokesman

Poland supports diplomatic efforts to achieve a just end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, provided they are undertaken in agreement with the Ukrainian side, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Maciej Wewiór told PAP after Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

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Wewiór said ending Russia’s aggression required both Russia and Ukraine. He noted that the two sides were already communicating on issues including prisoner exchanges and the return of fallen soldiers’ bodies, adding that there was no shortage of intermediaries. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that he had spoken by phone with Stubb and Støre after their call with Putin.

"Alex and Jonas made it clear to the Russian leader that real de-escalatory steps are needed regarding our energy and infrastructure," Zelensky said.

He said they discussed preparations for a trilateral meeting planned for November at the level of teams from Ukraine, the United States and Russia. He added that Finland and Norway, as countries bordering Russia, had a particular interest in appropriate and reliable security arrangements. 

Spoke with President of Finland @alexstubb and Prime Minister of Norway @jonasgahrstore following their call today with the Russian leader and as a continuation of our discussions in Oslo with representatives of America, Europe, and NATO. I am grateful for the detailed briefing and for their active support for our diplomacy and the peace efforts we are pursuing together with all our partners. Alex and Jonas made it clear to the Russian leader that real de-escalatory steps are needed regarding our energy and infrastructure. We discussed preparations for the trilateral meeting planned for November at the team level – Ukrainian, American, and Russian. Finland and Norway, as countries that border Russia, have a particular interest in sound and reliable security arrangements. We also discussed various formats for our engagement with partners in Europe that could be useful in further supporting diplomacy, our defense, and our shared security. There must be peace, de-escalation is needed, and Russia must stop dragging out the war. I thank everyone who stands with Ukraine!

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 27, 2026

The Norwegian government said the initiative came from Stubb and Støre and that the call was coordinated with Ukraine. Its purpose was to convey directly to Putin their position on future negotiations aimed at ending the war. The two leaders stressed that they were speaking on behalf of their own countries, not Europe as a whole. 

The previous week, Støre and Stubb met Zelensky and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Oslo, ahead of Witkoff’s visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg. Witkoff travelled to Russia with peace proposals drawn up in Oslo. 

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Source: PAP