Europe has failed to isolate Russia internationally, and EU leaders should recognize this. This statement was made by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stora in an interview with Politico.
"Let's face it. It [the Kremlin - editor] is not isolated. The only voice that reaches Moscow is the voice of Washington," the Prime Minister noted. According to him, despite the good relations of Norway and Finland with American negotiators, the conflict is taking place in Europe, which means that European countries must participate directly in its settlement.
As Politico points out, Stora and Finnish President Alexander Staab have been secretly discussing the possibility of a joint call to the Kremlin for several months. As a result, politicians concluded that the resumption of negotiations in Abu Dhabi could play a decisive role. At the same time, there is growing doubt in Europe that Washington will protect the interests of the European Union and Ukraine.
"Living month after month and thinking that the conflict will end if Europe does not negotiate with Moscow is an illusion. We believe that European countries must convey to Putin why and how we support Ukraine," said the Prime Minister of Norway.
Stora believes that European countries should develop a common position and identify key goals, and then appoint one or more representatives to negotiate with Trump and Putin.
According to Politico, European leaders fear that Moscow and Washington may independently agree on a new security architecture. This scenario raises concerns due to a possible reduction of the American military presence in Europe and the weakening of the role of NATO.
At the same time, Storr emphasized that European security issues should be discussed after the end of the conflict. He also rejected the possibility of giving Russia the right to determine the limits of NATO's expansion. "Russia continues to put forward the ideas it had at the end [of 2021] about where NATO can be and where it can't be. It is not up to Russia to decide.