UPDATED: Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is encouraged by agreements on security guarantees for Ukraine and has opened up to the possibility of sending Norwegian soldiers to Ukraine, but only if a functioning ceasefire is in place. Any deployment of Norwegian troops also hinges on whether security guarantees for Ukraine are actually put into place.
“The most important thing here is the work on security guarantees for Ukraine,” Støre told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) while attending a summit in Paris on Tuesday of countries supporting Ukraine. Those guarantees can only come after a ceasefire is agreed to between Ukraine and Russia, which invaded its neighbour nearly four years ago.
The guarantees agreed to at the meeting, meanwhile, include US-led surveillance and verification of a future ceasefire in cooperation with coalition partners, more support for Ukraine’s own defense forces, creation of an international peace-keeping force in Ukraine, support for Ukraine if Russia attacks it again and long-term military support and cooperation with Ukraine.
Even though the foreign ministers’ US colleague, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, didn’t attend the summit, the US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner did, and they agreed to the guarantees. That’s considered a major step forward. The guarantees also still must be approved by each involved country’s legislature, but that’s expected. Støre told Norwegian reporters that the agreement in Paris must be put forth as a proposal in parliament (Norway’s Stortinget), but it’s likely to be approved.
Støre was already prepared on Tuesday to confirm to allies meeting in Paris that Norway is willing to contribute to international forces set up in Ukraine when a “credible” ceasefire is in place. His office issued a statement that those attending the meeting agreed “that a future peace must be secured by security guarantees that European countries and the USA stand behind.”
Støre also told news bureau NTB that the Nordic and Baltic countries, all of which are members of NATO, will also take responsibility for building up a joint brigade within Ukraine. “I won’t rule out that the Norwegian military can also train Ukrainian military forces within Ukraine,” Støre said. He thinks the “most important thing we can do is to contribute to training and building up Ukraine’s defense.”
Much of that is already underway, for example at a Norwegian-built training camp in Poland where Norway helps train Ukrainian soldiers. Norway is also part of the coalition of 35 countries willing to support Ukraine. It was leaders of those countries who met in Paris on Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron as their host.
The meeting in Paris was the result of several months of intense diplomacy and peace talks, but so far there’s been no peace pact that both Ukraine and Russia will accept. Ukraine is reluctant to turn over any territory to Russia that it claims as a result of its invasion in 2022. Ukraine’s leadership wants Ukrainians to decide on that themselves through a special election. Russia, meanwhile, hasn’t budged but has had a rough start to the New Year after the US military intervention in Russia’s allied Venezuela, the British- and US seizure of a Russian tanker off Iceland and the solidarity for Ukraine shown in Paris.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
