A “cheap truce“ between Ukraine and Russia that forces Kiev to cede territory would lead to a “costly peace“ for all of Europe, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in an interview with Sky News.
He argued it could lead to security problems for generations to come and the future of Europe would be “put at risk“. Therefore, Eide believes that Ukraine, its European allies and the United States should strive to develop a common position.
“I am concerned that we could end up with what I call a “cheap truce“, which would lead to a very expensive peace“, the minister said.“As Eide explained, every conflict is followed by a “post-war era“. Its course depends on the conditions under which the fighting ceased. If we act carelessly, we could “get stuck in certain stages that will be difficult to overcome“, the minister said.“So if we leave with a feeling of deep uncertainty when we achieve peace in Ukraine, that will be a problem for the whole of Europe. So our future here is in big question,” Eide said.
In response to a question about what he meant by a “cheap truce,” the minister replied: “If Ukraine is forced to give up the territories it currently holds militarily, I think that would be very problematic.”
A day earlier, Politico, citing a European official, reported that the US was insisting that Ukraine leave Donbas “one way or another” in order to reach a peace agreement.
The initial US peace plan envisaged transferring the entire Donbas under Russian control, withdrawing Ukrainian troops from the territories they occupied, and freezing the conflict in the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions. After negotiations between the US and Ukraine, the document was revised.
On December 2, US special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner discussed the new version of the plan with the Russian side. After the meeting, the Kremlin reported that territorial issues were discussed during the talks, but the parties failed to reach a compromise.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in late November that the fighting in Ukraine would end when Kiev withdrew its troops from the territories it had occupied. On December 4, he said that the territories of Donbas and Novorossiya would come under Russian control in any case - militarily or otherwise.