From 7–10 June, Oslo hosted a visit of a Ukrainian delegation as part of the North–South Security Initiative — the “North–South Axis: Ukraine–NB8” project implemented by the Sahaidachnyi Security Center and the Ukrainian Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, with support from the International Renaissance Foundation.
The Oslo visit marked the third stop of the Initiative, following Stockholm (November 2025) and Copenhagen (March 2026), and continued a strategic dialogue between Ukraine and Northern European partners on the future security architecture of Europe.
Norwegian partners included the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), the Norwegian Defence University College (NDUC), and PEN Norway.
The Ukrainian delegation brought together representatives of government institutions, think tanks, the expert community, and civil society, including Rostyslav Ohryzko, Lesia Ogryzko, Dr. Olena Davlikanova, Yevhen Hlibovytskyy, Maksym Kostetskyi, Yurii Buhai, Stanislav Boiko, Mariia Kucherenko, and Lesia Orobets.
Lesia Ogryzko, Director of the Sahaidachnyi Security Center and Head of the Reform Support Office at the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine:
“Building relationships with Northern European countries at every level is a strategic priority for Ukraine. This cooperation should extend beyond politics to include military, industrial, academic, and intellectual engagement. That is precisely the purpose of our visits. It is important not only to discuss today’s challenges but also to jointly shape long-term solutions for Europe’s security. Ukraine, with its unique experience gained through war, has every opportunity to become a core contributor to a new defence community, particularly together with the Nordic-Baltic Eight countries.”
The programme featured a strategic roundtable at NUPI on Ukraine’s role in the future European security architecture, a working session at the Norwegian Defence University College focused on total defence and Ukraine–Norway analytical cooperation, an FFI roundtable on future force development and Russia analysis, meetings with Norwegian stakeholders, engagement with the Norwegian–Ukrainian Friendship Association, and a public discussion between Yevhen Hlibovytskyy and PEN Norway.
Particular attention was devoted to deterring Russia, developing the concept of total defence, strengthening societal resilience, long-term defence planning, and building institutional partnerships between Ukraine and Norway.
“Ukraine has already bought Europe time to prepare for a years-long confrontation with Russia. Given that the Kremlin’s ambitions extend to restoring influence across at least the post-Soviet space — and beyond, as far as its strength allows — European partners have less and less time to prepare for Russian aggression. While Ukraine is exhausting Russian armed forces, it is precisely the absence of battlefield success that may provoke Russia into a provocation against a NATO member state — which, if met with an inadequate response, could lead to the final discrediting of existing collective security arrangements. Moreover, on the European continent, only two armies — Ukrainian and Russian — are trained to wage next-generation warfare”, — Olena Davlikanova, Associate Senior Analyst at Sahaidachnyi Security Center, at the roundtable at NUPI
Among the key outcomes of the visit were the deepening of expert-level dialogue between Ukrainian and Norwegian institutions, the identification of areas for joint research, and the strengthening of Ukraine’s role as one of Europe’s leading sources of practical security and defence expertise.
The visit was organised by the Sahaidachnyi Security Center and the Ukrainian Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in partnership with NUPI, FFI, NDUC, and PEN Norway, with support from the International Renaissance Foundation.
