Norway's FM clarifies NATO’s limitations as peacekeepers in Ukraine conflict

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stated that NATO forces, if deployed to Ukraine, would not be able to fulfill the role of neutral peacekeepers in the ongoing conflict.

Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue, a conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, in New Delhi, Eide argued that European NATO countries, should they be involved in peacekeeping, would be unable to act as impartial parties to a ceasefire agreement due to their clear alignment in the conflict, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

“Classical peacekeepers are part of the agreement and are not committed to either side. You defend the treaty by being neutral and not involved,” Eide explained.

“The other option is a kind of security force that protects one side from the actions of the other, but they are not peacekeepers. I suppose that if there is European or NATO action on this, it will not be classical peacekeepers, it is more suited to countries like India. But I don't think that we, having taken a clear enough side, can be a peacekeeping force precisely in relation to the agreement itself,” he added.

Eide emphasized the need to distinguish between peacekeeping forces and security forces, stating that both roles are valid but should not be conflated. His comments reflect concerns that NATO’s involvement in Ukraine could be seen as partisan, rather than neutral, in contrast to traditional peacekeeping missions.

The minister also expressed hope that the ongoing negotiations between Russia and the United States could lead to an agreement on a ceasefire, underscoring that Ukraine must be involved in the process. While acknowledging that the European Union currently does not have a seat at the negotiating table, Eide highlighted the EU’s active role in facilitating the talks and contributing to the broader discussions on the future of security in Europe.

“It is true that the EU does not have a seat at the negotiating table, but there is no table itself yet, there are no full-fledged negotiations yet, there are only preliminary talks,” Eide added, pointing to the complex and evolving nature of the diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

By Vafa Guliyeva