Photo: Getty Images
New ideas for a peaceful settlement of Russia’s war against Ukraine emerged during talks between Ukrainian, US and European delegations in Norway and will be presented to Russia, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said.
Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Stubb said the discussions had made tangible progress in both the short term and the broader context.
“We found some elements of a peace settlement that will be presented tomorrow in St. Petersburg,” he said, referring to a planned meeting between US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Stubb said the talks focused on key issues including air defense, energy infrastructure and partial ceasefires, particularly in the energy sector and food security.
He added that the parties were technically aligned on the issues discussed.
“Peace requires patience, but unfortunately, war does not wait. People die every day. Our task is to do everything possible to bring this to an end,” Stubb said, describing the talks as a step in the right direction.
Russia rejects ceasefire proposals
Russia has repeatedly rejected Ukrainian and US proposals for a ceasefire covering energy infrastructure.
US President Donald Trump recently claimed that Kyiv and Moscow had agreed to halt attacks on energy facilities. However, no such agreement had been reached, although Ukraine had paused strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Russia continued attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, raising concerns about widespread power outages.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said there would be no ceasefire, arguing that Ukraine would use the pause to receive more weapons.
