OSLO: The Norwegian government aims to maintain its aid to Ukraine at 85 billion kroner ($8.4 billion) in 2026, the same level as this year, the office of Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said Monday.
The proposal, made as Store visited Kyiv, must be ratified by parliament and if passed would take to 275 billion kroner ($27.1 billion) the total civilian and military aid which Norway will send the country for the 2023-2030 period.
“The government intends to maintain Norway’s extraordinary support to Ukraine next year and is proposing an allocation of a total of 85 billion kroner in military and civilian support,” said Store in a statement.
“This is a critical time in Ukraine’s fight to defend itself. As talks on a ceasefire and peace take place, the war rages on in Ukraine.
“It is important in the current situation to reaffirm our continued strong support for Ukraine: political, financial and military,” said Store, who was to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday.
The aid package proposed by the minority Labor government must be included in 2026 budget proposals due for presentation in October.
Norway is to hold parliamentary elections – expected to see a close battle between left and right – on September 8.
Oslo’s support for Ukraine is almost universal among the Norwegian public, with the country sharing a border with Russia.
According to German research institute Kiel Institute, Norway was the second largest European provider of military aid to Ukraine in May and June, behind Germany.
On Sunday, Oslo announced it would allocate some seven billion kroner to strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses, including the joint purchase with Germany of two Patriot air and missile defense systems.
Norway proposes maintaining Ukraine aid at $8.4bn in 2026
https://arab.news/wssw5
Norway proposes maintaining Ukraine aid at $8.4bn in 2026
- The proposal must be ratified by the Norwegian parliament
- Norway was the second largest European provider of military aid to Ukraine in May and June
Changes to US security strategy ‘largely consistent’ with Russia’s vision: Kremlin
- Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the current US administration was “fundamentally different from the previous ones”
MOSCOW: Russia has welcomed changes in the US National Security Strategy, saying the adjustments that marked a radical departure from Washington’s previous policy were “largely consistent” with Moscow’s vision.
Washington’s new National Security Strategy, published early Friday, took aim at allies in Europe, calling it over-regulated, lacking in “self-confidence” and facing “civilizational erasure” due to immigration.
The document stated that the United States would also prevent other powers from dominating but added: “This does not mean wasting blood and treasure to curtail the influence of all the world’s great and middle powers.”
Commenting on the new US strategy, the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the current US administration was “fundamentally different from the previous ones.”
“The adjustments we’re seeing, I would say, are largely consistent with our vision,” Peskov said in an interview with state TV station Rossiya aired Sunday.
“President Trump is currently strong in terms of domestic political positions. And this gives him the opportunity to adjust the concept to suit his vision,” Peskov added.
The publication of the updated security strategy came as officials from Kyiv held talks in Florida with Trump’s envoys on the US-drafted plan to end the near four-year war in Ukraine.
Three days of talks produced no apparent breakthrough.
President Volodymyr Zelensky committed to further negotiations toward “real peace,” as Russia in the early hours of Saturday launched another series of drone and missile strikes at Ukraine.
Zelensky is due to meet with European leaders — French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz — in London on Monday to take stock of the negotiations.
