Zelenskyy defends leaders of Finland and Norway over Putin talks

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has defended the leaders of Finland and Norway for reaching out to Russian leader Vladimir Putin as part of efforts to reach a peace deal. In a 90-minute call on Tuesday, Finland’s President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre urged Putin to end his war on Ukraine. But some European leaders felt the call was a mistake, criticizing Stubb and Støre for undermining Europe’s unity in dealing with Russia’s president, who has been largely frozen out after launching his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Zelenskyy praised the two Nordic leaders for their help, saying he had a “positive” view of them.