“First, we need a ceasefire, an unconditional ceasefire that must be monitored and respected before moving on to negotiations on the important issues for achieving lasting peace,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on the sidelines of a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Forces (JEF) coalition, which includes 10 countries. (JEF), which includes 10 countries.

“This must be monitored and respected before moving on to negotiations on the important issues for achieving lasting peace,” he added.

The JEF consists of 10 countries—Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom—and was established to enable rapid response to crises.

Stor said that during a dinner with the leaders of the coalition member states, they had been in contact with both US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss the proposal.

“We also stress the need for accountability for such a ceasefire and that if it is not respected, sanctions must be imposed,” Støre said.

On May 8, Trump called for a “30-day unconditional ceasefire” on his social media platform Truth Social after speaking with Zelensky.

Trump wrote that “both sides will be responsible for upholding the sanctity of these direct negotiations” to end the conflict that began when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.

“This is a coordinated approach that is now being sent from the US, from the Europeans and from Ukraine,” the Norwegian prime minister concluded. | BGNES