Zelensky says Ukrainian experts will be in Saudi Arabia for talks on March 24
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Norwegian Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg holding a press conference in Oslo, Norway, on March 20.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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OSLO/KYIV – President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 20 that Ukrainian experts would be present at upcoming talks involving the US and Russia, but will not be in the same room as Russia, as a diplomatic push to end the war intensifies.
Russian and US experts are due to discuss ways to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea at talks on a possible peace settlement in Saudi Arabia on March 24, the Kremlin said.
Mr Zelensky, during a visit to Norway, said: “There will be technical teams present there.”
At a press conference with Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, the Ukrainian leader said: “I understand that the structure is the following: there will be a meeting of Ukraine and America and then some shuttle diplomacy, as our American colleagues said, America with Russia,”
Mr Zelensky said on March 19 that Kyiv would draw up a list of facilities that could be subject to a partial ceasefire brokered by Washington.
That list could include not only energy, but also rail and port infrastructure, he added.
He was speaking on March 20 in Norway, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, a day after his trip to like-minded Finland, as he seeks to shore up European backing amid divergences among countries in the region over how to bolster Kyiv and the EU’s own military capabilities.
Earlier on March 20, Mr Zelensky urged European Union leaders meeting in Brussels to approve a package of at least €5 billion (S$7.23 billion) for artillery purchases for Ukraine and called for continued pressure on Russia.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has scaled back a proposal to pledge up to €40 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2025, with each country contributing according to its economic size, after resistance from some countries – particularly in southern Europe.
When he addressed the EU summit by video, Mr Zelensky said it was “simply anti-European when one person blocks decisions that are important for the entire continent”, referring to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s opposition to EU statements in support of Ukraine.
The Nordic and Baltic countries, including Norway, are in the camp of more support to Ukraine.
Norway, which is not an EU member, said on March 6 that it would more than double its financial support to Kyiv in 2025, to 85 billion krone (S$10.8 billion) from a plan agreed in November 2024 of 35 billion krone.
That extra support was now being “immediately translated into support for artillery ammunition, for drone capacity and also for investment in Ukraine’s own industry”, Mr Stoere told the press conference on March 20.
Norway is the only European nation that can finance increased support to Ukraine from its own coffers rather than from debt, as it is home to the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund, with assets of US$1.8 trillion (S$2.40 trillion).
Norway’s wealth fund has seen soaring income from gas sales to Europe as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. REUTERS
