UPDATE - Zelenskyy arrives in Norway for talks with US envoy, meetings with Nordic leaders

ADDS ZELENSKYY STATEMENT ON MEETING NORWEGIAN KING

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday arrived in Norway, where he is scheduled to hold talks with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Nordic leaders.

In a statement on US social media platform X, Zelenskyy said that apart from a bilateral meeting with Witkoff, he is also scheduled to take part in a trilateral meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.

A quadrilateral meeting involving Zelenskyy, Stubb, Store and Witkoff will also be held, he said.

Zelenskyy said he will have an audience with Norwegian King Haakon VIII and a meeting at parliament, or the Storting.

“We are maintaining all contacts that can help bring peace. We will also discuss strengthening our air defense and joint production. I am grateful to everyone who supports Ukraine and a dignified path to peace,” Zelenskyy added.

Earlier Tuesday, the Norwegian government announced Zelenskyy’s visit in a statement, indicating that the trilateral meeting involving the Ukrainian president, his Finnish counterpart and the Norwegian premier will “discuss the situation in Ukraine.”

“President Zelenskyy has asked Norway and Finland to organize a meeting as part of the ongoing diplomatic efforts at this critical time for Ukraine. President Stubb and I are very pleased to be able to host this meeting in Oslo,” Store was quoted as saying.

A joint press conference would follow the meeting, the statement added.

Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner would also take part in meetings in the Norwegian capital, the statement further said.

Citing a US official, Axios reported Monday that the discussions in Oslo are expected to include representatives of the E4 -- made up of the UK, France, ?Germany and Poland -- and officials from the EU and NATO.

The report, quoting the US official, noted Kushner will participate virtually in the Oslo discussions because he has the flu.

It also quoted the official saying that, following the Oslo meetings, Witkoff is also planning to travel to Russia, where he hopes to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and present ideas developed in consultation with Ukraine and European partners.

Following the meeting with Haakon, Zelenskyy thanked Norway and its people for their support for Ukraine, noting they discussed the return of Ukrainian children from Russia.

"We must bring every Ukrainian child home. We discussed what steps we can take to make this happen. We are also doing everything we can to help our people in Oleshky," Zelenskyy said on X, defining the situation in the settlement, situated in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's southern Kherson region, as "simply horrific."

Burç Eruygur