Finnish President Alexander Stubb has held telephone conversations with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), discussing the Middle East situation and Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
Stubb confirmed the conversations in a post on X on Tuesday, 3 November. He said he had spoken with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
According to Stubb, the discussions covered developments in the Middle East, Russia’s war in Ukraine and efforts to promote peace and stability in both regions.
“The common denominator in all these calls was the recognition of the need to promote peace and stability in both regions, and the readiness to work towards these goals,” Stubb wrote.
The conversations come as Finland continues its diplomatic engagement over the war in Ukraine and efforts to bring the conflict to an end.
On 27 October, Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store held a joint telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The call, initiated by the Finnish and Norwegian leaders, focused on Russia’s war against Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to restart negotiations.
Today, I had fruitful discussions with the President of the United Arab Emirates @MohamedBinZayed , the President of Egypt @AlsisiOfficial and the Prime Minister of Qatar @MBA_AlThani_
We discussed a broad range of topics, including the Middle East and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine as well opportunies for strengthening bilateral cooperation.
The common denominator in all these calls was the recognition of the need to promote peace and stability in both regions, and the readiness to work towards these goals.
— Alexander Stubb (@alexstubb) November 3, 2026
According to the Finnish President’s Office, the purpose was to communicate directly with Putin ahead of planned negotiations in Abu Dhabi involving efforts to end the war. The conversation was held in consultation with Ukraine.
Stubb and Store said they wanted to convey their messages directly to the Russian president regarding the upcoming diplomatic discussions. Both countries have maintained their support for Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.
The latest conversations with the Middle Eastern leaders add another diplomatic dimension to Stubb’s engagement with countries involved in discussions about regional and international stability.
