After a hectic overnight trip to Oslo in an effort to prod US-brokered peace talks with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky received a warm welcome at the Norwegian Parliament on Wednesday. He’s been subjected to a new torrent of criticism and even bullying from the US president, but the message from the Norwegians was clear.
“We don’t let down our Ukrainian friends and allies,” said the president of the Norwegian Parliament, Masud Gharahkhani, “and we don’t compromise our values.” He went on to state that “this is a very tough time for Ukraine now, and it’s more important than ever to support them.”
That was also Gharahkani’s main message to Zelensky when he welcomed him back to Parliament (called Stortinget in Norwegian) Wednesday morning. “With winter coming, and the Putin regime’s targeted attacks on energy plants and civilians, the situation is especially demanding,” Gharahkani said.
Zelensky had traveled once again to Oslo to take part in new diplomatic meetings about the war in Ukraine. The meetings were hosted by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in partnership with Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, both of whom have strongly supported Ukraine after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Russia’s neighbour in February 2022.
The meetings were set up after the US special envoy Steve Witkoff agreed to come to Oslo on Tuesday and speak directly with Zelensky, Støre and Stubb. Norway’s goal is to keep the US engaged in efforts to end Putin’s war on Ukraine, but through diplomacy and mutual respect, not bullying or acceptance of Russia’s invasion.
Reaction to the meetings on Tuesday was generally positive, and on Wednesday morning, Witkoff flew on to St Petersburg to meet with Putin and his regime and report on the session in Oslo. By mid-afternoon came news that Russia’s Kremlin was “in principle” willing to resume talks with both Ukraine and the US, possibly in mid-November in Abu Dhabi.
It remained unclear what the Kremlin’s spokesman meant by the “in principle” remark, but another report from Russia mentioned that the end of the “conflict” between Russia and Ukraine was drawing closer. By late afternoon Witkoff was back in Oslo to update Norwegian Prime Minister Støre, who has suddenly emerged as a spokesman for how Russia’s war on Ukraine continues to pose a major threat to Russia’s other neighbours like Norway, Finland and the Baltic countries, and all of Europe. Russia is already widely suspected of hybrid warfare against European countries after months of cyber attacks, GPS jamming around airports and sabotage.
Støre had said earlier in the day that he expected just a short meeting with Witkoff at Oslo’s main airport at Gardermoen (OSL). Zelensky was not included in the late afternoon meeting, and reportedly had already left Oslo after his meetings at Parliament. Støre ended up meeting Witkoff on board a private jet at OSL.
The Ukrainian president could at least return to Kyiv knowing that countries like Norway, which is small but extremely wealthy, and Finland, which has an historical record of being able to stand up to Russia and the former Soviet Union, are firmly on his side. The goal is to keep the US on Ukraine’s side as well.
The Norwegian Parliament’s president said he was “proud and glad” that the entire Parliament from left to right “stands firmly united behind our support for Ukraine, and that was clearly expressed in our meetings with Zelensky. The fight for Ukraine’s future is also about our own security.”
NewsinEnglish.no/Nina Berglund