War longer than the Soviet-German one, while aggressor has not achieved any strategic goal – FM Sybiha

The Russian war against Ukraine has been going on longer than the Soviet-German war, while the aggressor has not achieved any strategic goal in the past four years, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has said.

"This war has been going on longer than the Soviet-German war. At the same time, the aggressor has not achieved any strategic goal in these almost four years. Now is the time to unite all efforts to force Moscow to make peace," he said at a joint press conference with his Norwegian counterpart in Kyiv.

During the talks, the heads of the Foreign Ministries outlined cooperation priorities for this year and held a detailed conversation on a wide range of issues of bilateral relations, in particular regarding investment potential and the growth of mutually beneficial partnership in the areas of security, defense and technology.

"Ukraine and Norway already have a number of joint defense projects, and today it is no coincidence that leading Ukrainian defense companies participated in our negotiations. This is about joint, mutually beneficial cooperation. We see the potential for mutually beneficial cooperation," Sybiha noted.

The ministers paid special attention to strengthening Ukrainian air defense as part of the European air shield. Both at the bilateral level and with the involvement of other partners.

"Strengthening the defense of Ukrainian skies is not only the protection of lives, but also an investment in the peace and security of all of Europe," the Foreign Minister noted.

During the talks, Sybiha informed his colleague about the dynamics of peace efforts with the United States and European partners and Ukraine's readiness for the next steps. The heads of foreign policy departments separately discussed the strengthening of sanctions pressure on Russia and work on strong security guarantees for Ukraine.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expressed gratitude to Norway for its significant contribution to the treatment of Ukrainian soldiers and discussed the further development and expansion of relevant programs.

In December, the Norwegian Parliament approved $8.3 billion in support for Ukraine for 2026, maintaining last year's level. Norway is the leader in the PURL initiative with a total contribution of $850 million.

Sybiha noted that almost $17 billion over two years is a strong support and contribution to security and peace throughout Europe.

The foreign ministers also exchanged views on a wide range of issues on the international agenda, including developments in Iran, Venezuela and the detention of tankers of the Russian shadow fleet.