Haakon VIII of Norway
Haakon VIII was King of Norway from 1905 to 1957. He took the throne when Norway dissolved its union with Sweden, becoming the first monarch of the newly independent country. During the Second World War he led the Norwegian government-in-exile in London and refused to abdicate under German occupation, becoming a unifying symbol of resistance. Born Prince Carl of Denmark, he was elected king by the Norwegian Storting after a plebiscite confirmed the end of the union.
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Witkoff meets Putin in St. Petersburg after Oslo talks, pushes for renewed Ukraine negotiations
US special envoy Steve Witkoff met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21, presenting documents with US approaches to ending the war in Ukraine. The visit followed talks in Oslo the previous day involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and US representatives. Witkoff said the Oslo discussions were productive and that a basis for a ceasefire existed. Zelensky said Ukraine was prepared to freeze the front line along current positions while preserving at least 75% of its territory, and called for a trilateral meeting with Putin and Trump — a format Russia has so far rejected. Putin opened the St. Petersburg meeting by announcing the release of American citizen Stephen Hubbard.