Norway’s foreign minister makes statement on mediating between Europe and Russia

According to Eide, Norway’s role is to support Ukraine, not to act as a mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.

"We are on Ukraine’s side," he stressed.

The Norwegian Foreign Minister noted that a real mediator in negotiations would be a country or politician capable of positioning themselves between the two sides of the conflict.

At the same time, Eide explained that the debate in Europe has shifted to a different question: who could represent European interests in potential peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

According to him, this is not about mediation between Kyiv and Moscow, but about representing Europe’s position in a broader international negotiation format.

"What Europe will look like after this war directly concerns Europe itself," the diplomat said.

Europe’s role in negotiations

There has been increasing discussion in Europe in recent times about the need to have its own representative in possible talks on ending the war between Ukraine and Russia.

This refers to a broader international format involving the United States, where Europe seeks to secure a separate voice on the future security of the continent and the conditions for ending the war.

EU officials are concerned that the United States may soon attempt to revive the peace process, ramping up pressure on Kyiv to demonstrate concrete diplomatic results. That is why Europe wants to designate a separate figure who could represent European positions in potential negotiations.

Earlier, Ukraine said it was ready to discuss with European partners the possibility of introducing localized ceasefire formats with Russia.

Meanwhile, Europe emphasizes that ending the war in Ukraine requires stronger economic pressure on Russia. The Kremlin, however, currently shows no readiness for genuine peace talks.