Norway backs Ukraine's NATO bid, welcomes Zelenskyy's victory plan

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide expressed support for Ukraine’s NATO membership and welcomed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s victory plan during a visit to Kyiv on 17 October 2024.

President Zelenskyy presented his “victory plan” to Ukraine during a speech in the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) on 16 October and to the European Union summit in Brussels on 17 October. The first point of the plan is Ukraine’s invitation to NATO as a crucial step for future peace and a deterrent to further Russian aggression.

Speaking at a joint briefing with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Eide emphasized the need for a “solid and constructive conversation” regarding NATO’s invitation to Ukraine to join the military alliance, according to Reuters.

The Norwegian minister praised Zelenskyy’s victory plan, stating,

“We welcome the victory plan. We think it’s very good that President Zelenskyy has now presented it to your parliament and that he is now in the EU and has also communicated with key players,” he said, as reported by Ukrinform.

Eide highlighted that the plan would help develop dialogue between Ukraine and its Western allies. He added that Norway believes the plan assists in the conversation between Ukraine and its friends, noting that partners also have a responsibility in preventing future wars for Ukraine and determining what security guarantees it will have.

“A very key point of the plan is that Ukraine will contribute to Europe’s security in the future thanks to its large military resources. We discussed that Ukraine can also contribute to security through its technologies,” Eide remarked, according to Ukrinform.

The Norwegian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of a meaningful conversation between Ukraine and NATO regarding the form of its membership in the Alliance.

“As long as Ukraine itself aspires to this, we are happy to see it in NATO,” Eide emphasized.

He further mentioned ongoing discussions among partners about providing Ukraine with reliable security guarantees in addition to the invitation, “so that these are not just words on paper, but reality,” Ukrinform reported.

The visit to Kyiv followed a meeting in Odesa on 16 October, where foreign ministers from Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Denmark (NB8) gathered. During this meeting, they discussed strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities and energy resilience ahead of winter, as well as President Zelenskyy’s victory plan.

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Norway backs Ukraine’s NATO bid, welcomes Zelenskyy’s victory plan