Norway to step up aid to Ukraine amid war with Russia
- 29 October, 09:18
Norway will increase aid to Ukraine from USD 1.5 billion amid ongoing Russia’s war of invasion.
Meeting with Ukrainian President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Reykjavik, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on Tuesday that an agreement on providing assistance to Ukraine until 2030 is currently under consideration by his country’s Parliament.
Reminding that Norway has been providing Ukraine with USD 1.5 billion under the program originally set to last until 2027, Gahr Støre stressed that this amount will be increased under the new initiative. Jonas Gahr Støre and Volodymyr Zelenskiy also discussed defense cooperation with other partners and long-term security collaboration, including NATO for Ukraine, Zelenskiy’s “Victory Plan”, and a joint strategy with partners to approach peace, according to the website of the President of Ukraine.
"The main topic of the meeting was support for Ukraine on the battlefield, as well as in diplomatic and financial spheres. The Norwegian Prime Minister underscored Norway’s intention to increase its aid," the statement posted in the website reads.
Among other topics of discussion was the strengthening of Ukraine’s air defense and long-range capabilities, as well as team-level cooperation to ramp up production of various military equipment, especially air defense systems.
It should be recalled the fourth Ukraine-Nordic Summit that took place in Reykjavik on October 28, brought together Prime Ministers of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the President of Ukraine Zelenskiy. In a joint statement after the summit, the leaders stressed that "Ukraine's future is in NATO."
