Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre arranged calls to US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) leaders' dinner in Oslo on Wednesday.
Stubb said he was pleased with the discussions.
"We had a good call. We talked about a ceasefire. We took big steps forward. The United States is strongly committed. This is important for Ukraine and for peace," Stubb told Trump on Thursday in Oslo, where leaders of the UK-led JEF are holding a summit.
Stubb said the call lasted between 15 and 20 minutes and covered elements of a potential ceasefire, as well as Trump's earlier call with Zelensky.
According to Stubb, the Trump administration is "strongly involved in the Ukrainian peace process".
"We discussed the situation in Ukraine and prospects for a 30-day ceasefire. Things are moving," Stubb said in a post on social media website X.
Norwegian PM Støre, who also took part in the call, described the discussion as "useful," adding that "he [Trump] is committed to bringing peace to Ukraine."
When asked whether Trump understood the JEF group's concerns, Støre replied with a touch of humour.
"His English is good, and ours isn't bad either."
The phone calls to both Trump and Zelensky were initiated by Støre and Stubb and took place during a dinner hosted at the Norwegian Prime Minister's residence. All JEF leaders participated, with the exception of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was not present.
Støre said there was a shared understanding among participants that "an unconditional ceasefire, which is monitored and respected, must come first."
Following the call, Trump posted a message on social media calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. According to Støre, the president appeared committed to pursuing that goal.
The summit, hosted in Oslo, brings together leaders from the ten JEF member states, which include Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The group focuses on regional defence cooperation.
Unusually, representatives from the Faroe Islands and Greenland are also attending this week's meetings, as Arctic security has been added to the agenda.
Leaders are also working to align their positions ahead of the Nato summit scheduled to take place in The Hague this June.
