Hope PM Modi will use channels to Russia to help bring ceasefire in Ukraine: Norway PM Store

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Norway hopes India will use its channels with Russia for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. Speaking to Indian journalists here in Oslo during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Norway, Mr. Store said that although the two sides have differences on the issue, they understand that India needs the energy source.

The Norwegian government has created a fund for Ukraine, sent military support to the conflict, and has consistently pushed for more sanctions against Russia.

‘Respect’ for India’s energy needs

Mr Store said it was useful to exchange views on geopolitical issues with Mr Modi on Tuesday (May 19) and that he “respected” the reasons for India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He also said that External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval have met their Norwegian counterparts for further discussions on the issue.

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“India is a very big country and it needs energy resources. Norway is also an energy exporter so we should respect that,” Mr. Store said in response to a question. HinduBut he added that there needed to be “more pressure on Russia to come to the table and make real efforts to end this war.”

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, India has multiplied its purchases of Russian oil; Russian crude oil, which once accounted for less than 1% of India’s imports, has reached highs of 40% of total imports.

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Mr. Store’s comments came shortly before the U.S. government announced it would extend sanctions exemptions for imports of Russian oil for a third month during the war in West Asia; India announced that it will continue to import oil from Moscow.

“We believe that when Russia can feel this energy, [exports] At the same time, its sales are restricted, which puts pressure on Russia. “At the same time, I know that the Prime Minister of India and the Indian leadership have channels with the Russian leadership, and I hope to see that they can use those to ensure that the ceasefire continues,” Mr. Store continued, when asked about comments he made at a joint press conference earlier in the day, citing issues on which “Norway and India do not always see eye to eye.”

However, he denied that the differences negatively affected the bilateral relationship between India and Norway.

On India’s role in the Arctic Council

Mr. Store was also asked whether the divide over Russia would affect India’s relationship with the 8-nation Arctic Council, which includes all Arctic states: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. India has been a permanent member of the group discussing trade routes, climate change and ocean management since 2013, and Mr Store rejected a question about whether Norway expected India to “pick sides” between Russia and other members.

“We want to see India, with its increasingly impressive science, be part of Arctic climate research that is important to India. And I hope that in the future Arctic cooperation can return to more normal conditions.”

PM Modi and PM Store will be joined by other leaders of the Nordic States (Sweden, Iceland, Finland and Denmark) for the Third Scandinavian-India Summit on Tuesday.

The meeting is taking place a year later than originally planned as Prime Minister Modi had to cancel his visit following the terror attacks in Pahalgam and the 4-day India-Pakistan conflict.

When asked, Mr. Store said that all countries should take a determined stance against terrorism, which Norway also suffered from.

“We must stand together against it” [terrorism]to combat it in its darkest forms, but also to prevent it. For this we need political cooperation and today’s visit confirmed that Norway and India are getting closer,” Mr. Store told Indian journalists.