Norway to increase aid to Kiev to €3 bln in 2025

Norway will increase aid to Kiev to €3bn next year. This is reported on November 28 on the website of the government of the kingdom.

"Norway firmly supports Ukraine. We are extending support until 2030, and next year's support will amount to at least 35 billion Norwegian kroner (about €3 billion - Ed.)," said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

It is specified that in 2025 the grant of the Nansen program will amount to 35 billion NOK. It is planned that 22.5 billion (about €1.93 billion) will go for military support, and 12.5 billion (about €1.07 billion) for humanitarian and civilian support.

In addition, Norway has set a lower limit of NOK 15 billion (about €1.29 billion) for annual funding. This means that allocations exceeding this amount in one year will not be deducted from the total amount as before.

"The situation in Ukraine is more critical now than when we launched the Nansen program in 2023. Therefore, I am pleased that the program will now apply for several years and that we have agreed on a minimum level of this support," Støre concluded.

Earlier, on November 21, it was reported that the Norwegian authorities will allocate $45.3 million to support Ukraine's defense industry. According to the Norwegian defense minister, the funds will be used to accelerate the production of weapons and military equipment.

On 20 September, it was reported that Norway plans to extend the program of support for Ukraine for another three years and increase the budget for it. The annual aid to Kiev will amount to at least 15 billion Norwegian kroner ($1.4 billion). Its total volume for the entire period will amount to 135 billion kroner ($12.8 billion) instead of the current 75 billion ($7.1 billion).

Before that, on September 6, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged the alliance countries to continue supplying Ukraine with weapons at a press conference in Norway.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Kiev amid Russia's special operation to protect Donbas, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.