Norway's foreign minister sees no contradiction between military aid to Ukraine and the pursuit of peace

Minister rejects pitting aid against diplomacy

Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has said he sees no contradiction between military support for Ukraine and efforts to reach a peace agreement. His remarks were reported by European Pravda, as cited by Gazeta.Ru.

The essence of the position

“Some questions were framed as if you either support Ukraine militarily or discuss peace. No, in fact it is quite the opposite,” the minister said, adding that Ukraine speaks “very clearly, very loudly and very consistently” about its desire for a just and lasting peace, but that “at some point, negotiations must take place.” According to him, “there is no contradiction between being one of the most important supporters on the military and economic fronts and trying to help bring about that peace agreement.”

Context: Putin's calls and the reaction in the EU

Eide's statement came amid diplomatic activity around a possible settlement. On October 27, Vladimir Putin held telephone talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre about prospects for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine. According to the press release from the European side, the purpose of the call was “to convey a message to President Putin regarding future negotiations aimed at ending the conflict”; the call was linked to upcoming meetings in Abu Dhabi.

Reactions and criticism

Following the conversation, Alexander Stubb said that direct talks with Russia are needed to settle the conflict in Ukraine, and that the dialogue with Vladimir Putin was “candid and substantive.” At the same time, as Gazeta.Ru notes, the first critic of the call by European leaders to Putin has emerged in the EU — the publication does not disclose details of this position.