Putin may not want peace, warns Norwegian leader who spoke to him

In an exclusive POLITICO interview, Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre warns he does not expect Abu Dhabi talks to deliver a major breakthrough. By TIM ROSS in Oslo Photo-illustration by Mr.Nelson design for POLITICO Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre is already unpopular with Donald Trump, who blames his government for not giving him the Nobel Peace Prize, and recently dismissed Norway as a “ shithouse country .” Now Støre is casting doubt on the U.S.

president’s bullish prediction that a “big, beautiful” peace deal is close to being signed to end nearly five years of Russia’s full-scale war with Ukraine. In an interview with POLITICO ahead of the restart of talks in Abu Dhabi, Støre gave a sober assessment of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s mindset and the chances of an imminent ceasefire.

And as the White House touts plans to overhaul the established security order in Europe, Støre bluntly warned that the continent’s defenses must not become a bargaining chip in the negotiation to end the war in Ukraine.