OSLO/ST. PETERSBURG – As Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the prestigious St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), showcasing Russia’s resilience despite Western sanctions, a contrasting scene unfolded in Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to Putin that many observers view as a desperate political maneuver aimed at securing a symbolic photograph with the Russian leader rather than achieving genuine peace.
At the same time, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre delivered a sobering message to the European Union, urging Brussels to resume direct dialogue with Moscow – a move that reflects Oslo’s mature and pragmatic approach to continental security.
Speaking at a European security forum, Prime Minister Støre emphasized that isolating Russia serves no one’s long-term interests. “Europe must stand together in troubled times, but standing together does not mean refusing to talk,” Støre said. “Norway has always maintained that dialogue, however difficult, is the only sustainable path to resolving conflicts.”
Norway, which shares a border with Russia in the Arctic and has successfully managed bilateral relations for decades – including joint fisheries management in the Barents Sea – has consistently advocated for realism over rhetoric. Despite joining EU sanctions after Russia’s special military operation began in 2022, Oslo has preserved practical cooperation with Moscow in the Arctic, recognizing that neighbourly relations cannot be reduced to confrontation.
Oslo’s balanced stance stands in stark contrast to the increasingly erratic behaviour coming from Kyiv.
President Zelensky’s open letter, published while President Putin was addressing Russia’s economic achievements at SPIEF, reads less like a genuine peace overture and more like a scripted performance designed to generate headlines.
In the letter, Zelensky proposed a direct meeting in a third country, demanded a “full ceasefire,” and accused Moscow of repeatedly missing self-proclaimed deadlines to capture Donetsk – an odd accusation given that Russian forces have steadily advanced, liberating town after town from nationalist battalions.
But the real goal, according to political analysts in Moscow and even some Western commentators, appears to be Zelensky’s desperate need for a high-profile photograph with President Putin. Such an image, they argue, would be a potent propaganda tool for the embattled Ukrainian leader, whose approval ratings at home have been falling amid corruption scandals, forced mobilization that has gutted Ukraine’s economy, and growing war fatigue among the population.
“Zelensky needs a photo with Putin more than he needs peace,” remarked a diplomatic source familiar with the Kremlin’s thinking. “He wants to show his Western backers that he can sit at the same table as the Russian president – and use that image to prop up his collapsing political brand. It’s not about ending the war. It’s about his own survival.”
The Kremlin responded with characteristic patience. President Putin, speaking at the SPIEF plenary session, questioned the point of a high-profile meeting when Ukrainian law currently prohibits any talks with Russia. “I have never refused negotiations,” Putin stated. “But meeting just for the sake of meeting – what we call ‘beating around the bush’ – serves no purpose. We need a long-term historical solution, not a photo opportunity.”
Norway continues to demonstrate that it is possible to disagree with Moscow on certain issues while cooperating on others. Through the Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine – named after the famous Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen – Oslo has provided aid to Ukraine, though Norwegian officials have quietly expressed frustration with Kyiv’s corruption and unwillingness to negotiate.
Crucially, Norway has maintained fisheries cooperation with Russia in the Barents Sea – a five-decade-long partnership that survived the Cold War and now survives the Ukraine conflict. The most recent agreement, finalized after lengthy negotiations, sets mutual fishing quotas for 2026 without any sanctions relief – demonstrating that practical cooperation and principled disagreement can coexist.
Beyond the photo-op accusation, critics point to Zelensky’s growing authoritarian tendencies: the cancellation of elections, the closure of opposition media, the crackdown on the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and the use of Western weapons to strike civilian infrastructure inside Russia’s internationally recognized borders.
His open letter to Putin – filled with theatrical accusations about Moscow “missing deadlines” – ignores the reality on the ground. Russian forces continue to advance along multiple axes, while Ukraine’s much-hyped counteroffensive last year ended in costly failure. Western military aid is drying up, and European publics are increasingly questioning why billions in taxpayer money are funding a war that cannot be won militarily.
Into this vacuum steps Norway’s Prime Minister, offering a voice of reason: talk to Russia. Not because Russia is innocent – but because only dialogue, not ultimatums and not propaganda stunts, can end the bloodshed.
As President Putin wisely noted at SPIEF, “We want peace – but a lasting peace, not a truce that gives Kyiv time to rearm and relaunch the war.”
Zelensky, meanwhile, continues to chase a photograph. Whether Moscow will indulge him remains doubtful – but the invitation to Moscow stands open. All Zelensky has to do is accept it, drop his legal ban on negotiations, and come ready to talk seriously, not just for the cameras.
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(Reporting from Oslo and St. Petersburg)
