Ukraine has asked Norway to take the lead in rebuilding a region of the country once the war is over. But Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor Party) doesn’t want that. He prefers to support reconstruction in other ways.

Ukraine will be in dire need of reconstruction assistance, according to the country’s ambassador to Norway, Viacheslav Yatsiuk.

– President Zelenskyj has challenged a number of countries, including Norway, to take responsibility for parts of the reconstruction when the war is over. It could be a region, part of a region or a sector, such as rebuilding a hospital that had been destroyed by Russian attackers, the ambassador to VG said.

He pointed out that Britain has taken leadership responsibility for the reconstruction of the capital Kyiv after what Russia destroyed.

– Denmark was offered to take on leadership responsibilities for Mikolaiyv. The Baltic states are considering taking responsibility for their territory. We hope that Norway will support the reconstruction of Ukraine and choose a region where Norway can take a leading role, said Yatisiuk.

Skeptical shop

Støre told VG that the government is discussing further support for Ukraine with other countries, and that support for reconstruction is an important issue.

– Norway has many contributions in sectors such as renewable energy and health care, but we must listen to Ukraine and respect the fact that there will be a great need for strong coordination, said the Prime Minister.

But he was not ready to follow Denmark and Great Britain, and adopted separate territories:

– I was a little skeptical of the size, said Støre.

– We have to look at the land as a whole. And then it is important that the state authorities themselves are involved in the priorities. Marshall aid after World War II provided space for these countries for their own development, in exchange for meeting criteria such as democracy and participation. Without coordination, we risk regions getting different developments. Therefore, this is what we have not recommended, he added.

Unclear results

On Tuesday, he gave a guest lecture to students at the University of Oslo, about Russia’s war against Ukraine. He asked the students to prepare for a long war.

– It is difficult now to see the basis for a lasting and stable peace. Russia needs victory and will not give up. Ukraine can hardly accept giving up as much territory as Russia wants. The parties’ minimum requirements do not overlap, Støre said.

Two weeks ago, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that “Ukraine can win this war”.

Støre is much more pessimistic on behalf of Ukraine:

“We don’t know the end of this war,” the prime minister told the students.

– Why do you and Jens Stoltenberg think this is so different, Støre?

– I do not want to create opposition to it, he replied.

– I described what we saw, based on the media reports we read. This is a confusing picture, and in fact, as we know, was the first victim of war. There was now a high intensity of fighting on the stagnant front. And I want to be careful in drawing conclusions about which direction this is pulling, Støre told VG.