Yesterday at 23:12
The Norwegian government has proposed increasing support for Ukraine by 5 billion Norwegian kroner (about 430 million euros) this year and providing at least 15 billion kroner (about 1.3 billion euros) annually until 2030.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced this after meeting with parliamentary leaders in Storting on Friday.
The government has proposed raising the framework of the Nansen program for Ukraine support to 135 billion kroner (11.5 billion euros) and extending the program by three years, from 2027 to 2030.
“We have proposed setting a minimum level for our support to Ukraine, where 15 billion kroner will serve as the foundation each year, instead of a ceiling of 75 billion kroner for the entire program,” explained Støre. He also mentioned that with this minimum level, there will be two opportunities each year to review additional allocations beyond what is set in the state budget.
The Nansen Program is a comprehensive Norwegian support initiative for Ukraine, both military and civilian.
Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum emphasized the gravity of the war’s consequences, stating: “The consequences of the war are absolutely, absolutely enormous. One of the strong points of the Storting is that when something is difficult, we stand together.”
Opposition liberals welcomed the increase in support but were disappointed with the proposal put forward by the government. Liberal Party leader Guri Melby stated, “Our goal should be for the war to end long before 2030, and for Norway to provide as much support as possible. The government’s proposal means that we will still be giving much less than neighboring countries like Denmark.”
Melby also highlighted Norway’s unique financial position, especially with its significantly increased oil fund since the start of the war.
Earlier, the Norwegian government decided to allocate an additional 570 million kroner (48.28 million euros) to the International Fund for Ukraine (IFU) for the purchase of drones and air defense systems. Norway has already contributed to the procurement of air defense systems, demining equipment, artillery ammunition, vehicles, engineering machinery, cranes, spare parts, and equipment for Ukrainian platforms and small vessels.
Recently, it was also reported that the Norwegian arms company Nammo will transfer a license to Ukraine for the production of 155mm artillery shells.
