During a press conference with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine’s desire to end the war and establish a complete ceasefire. He also emphasized that Crimea is a Ukrainian peninsula, and the issue of Ukraine’s accession to NATO is not off the agenda.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this during his visit to Norway on March 20.
The President explained that at the meeting in Jeddah, the American side made a leap by proposing not a partial ceasefire, but a full 30-day ceasefire. Ukraine agreed to this, but after negotiations with Russia, a step back was taken.
Zelenskyy’s speeches in Norway on March 20: the main points
- Ukraine confirms that it wants the war to end and is ready for a full and comprehensive ceasefire.
- All nuclear power plants are the property of the Ukrainian people. If the Americans intend to take them away from the Russians and modernize them, this can be discussed, but the transfer of ownership is out of the question.
- Sanctions against Russia should remain in place until Russia starts withdrawing its troops from Ukrainian soil and compensates for the damage caused by its aggression.
- The partial ceasefire applies to energy systems and other civilian infrastructure. Ukraine will prepare a list of such facilities.
- The Ukrainian and US teams will meet on Monday, March 24. Later, representatives of the United States and Russia may meet.
- The issue of Ukraine’s “neutrality” with respect to defense alliances is not being discussed. The removal of the issue of Ukraine’s accession to NATO from the agenda is a “big gift to Putin.”
- Crimea is a Ukrainian peninsula. The recognition of this territory as Russian was not discussed during the conversation with US President Donald Trump.