Norway supports tougher sanctions against Russia if Putin is not ready to compromise

This was stated by Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide before the start of an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya.

“Our position is very firm: a ceasefire and peace must be achieved, but the quality of this peace is extremely important. This means that it must be permanent, real, guaranteed, and secured, and Ukraine must remain a free, sovereign, and independent state with all rights to determine its present and future independently,” Eide said.

According to the Norwegian minister, there are currently “positive developments in transatlantic unity,” particularly on the issue of sending a joint message to Putin – “if he is not ready to compromise, there will be more pressure, more sanctions, and more consequences.”

"There are ongoing discussions in the European Union about strengthening European sanctions, and a package of tougher sanctions is also being discussed in the US Congress and Senate. You are, of course, right that the sanctions have not yet produced the desired results. But we know that they are hurting the Russian economy. Although part of the Russian economy is on “steroids” due to the state of war, other sectors are in serious trouble. Interest rates are very high, which of course affects large segments of Russian society. So the sanctions are having an effect. But it seems that we need to increase the pressure even further. We support the ongoing discussions in both the United States and Europe on tougher sanctions," Eide said.

According to him, the second important topic of the meeting in Antalya, along with Russia's war against Ukraine and its peaceful settlement, will be preparations for the NATO summit in June and, in particular, discussions on increasing defense spending and its effective use.

Source: Ukrinform