The war in Ukraine – Putin’s new ploy:

“I think the Western refusal of a referendum in Donbas is very imprudent.”

This is how Storting rep and former FRP leader Carl I. Hagen opens a Facebook post on Tuesday. The post was later deleted.

Shortly before, it became known that separatists in the Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine will hold a referendum on joining Russia.

This has attracted a great deal of international attention and Western leaders have been quick to condemn what they perceive as a further escalation of the war on the Russian side.

But Hagen goes so openly against the tide.

– Disappointed with Jens

“We should rather send observers to see if it will be the case that all those entitled will have the opportunity to vote and check the count. If it is the case that perhaps there is a majority for them who want to belong to Russia, then of course it must be attributed. a great burden! ” Hagen continues in the post.

He further adds that most people’s wishes must be heeded and goes on to say that he is disappointed with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in this matter.

Among other things, Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter that the international community must condemn him clear violation of international law and support Ukraine.

“We must seek solutions, not escalation as Western comments now entail!” concludes Hagen.

Also in February, before Putin began the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Hagen had a plan that argued that Norway would require a referendum in Donetsk and Luhansk.

Dagbladet tried to get a comment from Hagen but did not answer our questions on Wednesday.

It is not the first time

– Carl I. Hagen has meant this since 2014, and it is as shocking now as it was then, former foreign minister and current head of Storting’s foreign affairs committee Ine Eriksen Søreide (H) tells Dagbladet.

– These Russian bogus trials with so-called “referendums” are completely illegitimate and clearly in violation of international law, and are used by the Russians to legitimize the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. Carl I. Hagen is clearly on the wrong side of the story again, he continues.

Venstre leader Guri Melby also points out that this is not really new from Carl I. Hagen.

“Several times in the past, Hagen has made similar statements that are actually support for Putin,” Venstre leader Guri Melby told Dagbladet.

Melby thinks it’s extremely bad that Listhaug stood on the Storting floor a few days ago and said we need to stop blaming Putin’s war in Ukraine over high electricity prices.

– Now the FRP should take the field properly to clarify what they really think of Putin and his war. The last thing we need now are Western politicians who succumb to Putin’s aggression, concludes Melby.

– No support in Frp

The post has now been deleted from Facebook, but Frp’s colleague Roy Steffensen is among those who contradicted Hagen during his Facebook post.

– Accepting violations of international law is not a good solution, writes Steffensen.

FRP leader Sylvi Listhaug tells Dagbladet that she strongly disagrees with Hagen’s post on Facebook.

– This has no support in the FRP. The FRP condemns the referendum in occupied Donbas and warmly supports Norway and NATO’s line on the matter, Listhaug told Dagbladet.

The FRP does not want to comment on whether it was the party who instructed Hagen to delete the post.

– The fact that Russia is trying to establish itself in the occupied territories in this way underlines how important it is that Norway and the international community continue to assist Ukraine with money, weapons and equipment, says Listhaug.

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