Erna Solberg will hold Vladimir Putin and his accomplices responsible for the atrocities and war crimes against Ukraine. She calls the invasion an embarrassing blunder.
In his speech to the Conservative Party’s national assembly on Saturday morning, the party leader launched a frontal attack on both Putin’s actions and his own and others’ omissions in the face of a Russian regime that is now showing its true face.
Embarrassing flause
– Thanks to the courage of the Ukrainians and good preparations, Putin’s invasion quickly became an embarrassing blunder. Then he intervened until he has done so many times before: Reckless bombing and killing of civilians, said Erna Solberg, and continued:
– The war crimes have been in line: use of illegal weapons, attacks on hospitals and arbitrary shooting at civilians. I’m glad to see that many are now investigating these crimes. This conflict is, as we all see daily on TV and in social media, well documented. This time there must be a court settlement where the culprits are held accountable, Erna Solberg concluded.
– We should understand
The Conservative leader also acknowledges that the world has underestimated Putin’s long-standing danger to world peace and justice.
– Maybe we should have understood where it would end already when Putin left Grozny in ruins. Or when he bombed Georgian cities. We should have seen what would happen when Putin killed his opponents at home, and when he also started killing people who had fled abroad. At least we should have understood that when he invaded and annexed the Crimean peninsula, said Erna Solberg.
She concluded that the hope of a positive development in Russia has now been shattered once and for all, and that totalitarian darkness has descended over the country.
Strengthened defense and EU membership
The Conservatives’ response to Putin’s aggression and unreliability is a sharp strengthening of defense, loyalty to NATO and an even closer relationship with the EU. Although membership is not relevant in the coming months, Erna Solberg launched a new debate on Norwegian EU membership.
– Norway has over 70 cooperation agreements with the EU. So we’ll probably manage another one. Or: We can find our natural, safe place inside with our friends in Europe’s democratic and free countries, said the Conservative leader.
Electricity price
Otherwise, party leader Solberg spent much of his speaking time on energy policy and working life. She believes this is not the time to replenish the money in the publicly owned power company, but that the high electricity prices must be compensated for households and small businesses.
Erna repeated the message of including as many people as possible in working life and the need for continuing and further education for all. She believes this should be one of the main issues leading up to the next parliamentary election.
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