Daily Express Subscriber
Sign in to your account.

OSLO: Norway’s Prime Minister on Friday said a group of northern European nations and the UK supported a US proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

“We need a ceasefire, an unconditional ceasefire, first,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) coalition in Oslo.

“That needs to be monitored and respected before you can move into the negotiations on the big issues to reach a lasting peace,” he added.

The JEF comprises 10 countries—Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK—and was set up to rapidly respond to crises.

Store said that during a dinner on Thursday with leaders from the coalition member countries they had contact with both US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the proposal.

“We also stress the need for accountability of such a ceasefire, and if it’s not respected, there should be sanctions imposed,” Store said.

Trump on Thursday called for “a 30-day unconditional ceasefire” on his Truth Social network after speaking to Zelensky.

Trump said that “both countries will be held accountable for respecting the sanctity of these direct negotiations” to halt the conflict, which started when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

“This is a concerted approach that is now being sent by the US, by the Europeans and by Ukraine,” 

Trump pressed Russia to accept a 30-day unconditional ceasefire with Ukraine, with any breaches punishable by sanctions.

“Talks with Russia/Ukraine continue. The U.S. calls for, ideally, a 30-day unconditional ceasefire,” Trump said on his Truth Social network after speaking to Zelensky.

“If the ceasefire is not respected, the U.S. and its partners will impose further sanctions.”

Zelensky quickly pressed the Russians to accept, saying it must “prove their willingness to end the war.”

“Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire starting right now, from this very moment—a 30-day silence. But it must be real. No missile or drone strikes, no hundreds of assaults on the front,” Zelensky wrote on social media.

Ukraine in March embraced the US proposal for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire but it was brushed aside by Russia, which sees itself as gaining an upper hand on the battlefield as US assistance to Kyiv dries up under Trump.

Putin for his part ordered a three-day ceasefire for Thursday’s 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Ukraine dismissed the ceasefire as theatrics and said that Russia had broken its own order after just a few hours.

“When has Russia ever kept its promises?” said Anatoly Pavlovych, 73, in Kyiv.

Trump has shown growing impatience, first with Zelensky and more recently with Putin as the fighting has continued.

Trump said that he wanted lasting peace. “It can all be done very quickly, and I will be available on a moment’s notice if my services are needed,” he wrote.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has repeatedly warned that the United States could drop its efforts and move on to other issues without progress.

Trump heads next week to Saudi Arabia, which has served as a venue for separate US talks with Russia and Ukraine.

Asked by reporters if he could hold a surprise meeting with Putin in Saudi Arabia, Trump said: “I don’t think so but we’re having very good conversations. Very, very good.”