The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, Espen Bart Eide, commented on media discussions about his possible role as a representative of Europe in the upcoming negotiations with Russia. In a statement to Radio Free Europe in Brussels, he emphasized that he has no information regarding the basis for such reports and has not put himself forward for this position.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Norway’s Position and Eide’s Personal Opinion
Espen Bart Eide noted that his name has been mentioned among several other candidates, but he does not understand where these assumptions came from. The minister stressed that he sees Norway’s primary role as maintaining a strong ally position for Ukraine, rather than mediating between Ukraine and Russia.
“My name has been mentioned among several other candidates. I don’t know where that came from… Frankly, I believe that Norway’s role is to be a very firm and strong ally of Ukraine. And that is not the same as acting as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine. We are on Ukraine’s side,” Espen Bart Eide stated in a comment to Radio Free Europe on May 26.
According to the head of Norway’s Foreign Ministry, true mediation should be carried out by a person or state capable of taking a neutral position between the two sides of the conflict. Eide added that there is a separate discussion ongoing regarding the representation of the European position in peace negotiations, but this differs from direct mediation.
Search for Candidates for Peace Negotiations
In mid-May, the publication Politico released the names of potential candidates for the role of special representative for peace negotiations regarding Ukraine on behalf of Europe. Among them were former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has already declined this idea, current President of Finland Alexander Stubb, who expressed willingness to participate in this process, and former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who is respected in the EU but has not publicly commented on these proposals.
The article in Politico also noted that, according to sources familiar with Kyiv’s position, a candidate for the envoy must have broad support from the EU but should not represent the EU itself, as Putin does not trust this bloc. Among potential candidates, besides Eide, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar is also mentioned, known for his contacts with both sides of the conflict.