Zelensky's Norway visit aims to rally European support amid Trump’s Ukraine pullback

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj will arrive in Oslo on Tuesday for high-level discussions with NATO, EU and US officials, hosted by Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finland’s president Alexander Stubb. The delegation includes US special envoy Steve Witkoff, with former Trump adviser Jared Kushner participating via video link. Iver B. Neumann, director at the Fridtjof Nansens Institute, characterises the visit as a “counter-move” to Donald Trump’s recent attacks on Zelenskyj and his call for a new Ukrainian leader, aiming to cement European support for Kyiv.

Neumann warns that Trump’s domestic focus could reduce American aid, leaving Europe to decide whether to increase assistance or risk Ukraine’s defeat by Russia. He also doubts any imminent peace breakthrough, noting Putin’s regime remains committed to the war and sees no sign of surrender. Security measures include extensive drone and flight restrictions over Oslo and the surrounding Romerike area.