OSLO: Norway on Wednesday ruled out being the sole guarantor of a potential EU loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets, but may contribute depending on the solution Brussels chooses.
The European Commission is considering using part of Russia’s assets frozen after its invasion of Ukraine to provide Kyiv with a 140-billion-euro ($162-billion) interest-free loan to finance its budgetary and military support over the next two years.
But the plan has faced opposition from Belgium, home to the international deposit organization Euroclear which holds the bulk of the frozen assets, amid fears of Russian repercussions.
Arguing that Norway, Western Europe’s biggest oil and gas producer, made an extra 109 billion euros from soaring gas prices after Russia’s invasion, two Norwegian economists have suggested their country should step in as a guarantor for the loan even though it is not an EU member.
The idea has been welcomed by some Norwegian and foreign politicians, diplomats and commentators.
“It would be wrong to rule out anything before we’ve even seen the proposal, but some ideas have circulated under which Norway would guarantee the entire amount... That is out of the question,” Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg said. “But whether we could contribute, in one way or another, remains to be seen depending on what the EU proposes,” he told Norwegian broadcaster NRK from Brussels where he was due to meet his European counterparts.
Stoltenberg noted that discussions were still underway within the European Union.
Norway, a NATO member that shares a border with Russia in the Arctic, is not a member of the EU but is closely aligned with Brussels on issues relating to the war in Ukraine.
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Norway says won’t be sole guarantor for EU loan to Ukraine
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Norway says won’t be sole guarantor for EU loan to Ukraine
- The plan has faced opposition from Belgium
- The idea has been welcomed by some Norwegian and foreign politicians, diplomats and commentators
Banner of Donald Trump unfurled at Justice Department headquarters
WASHINGTON: A banner of US President Donald Trump has been unfurled outside the headquarters of the Justice Department in the latest effort to stamp his identity on a Washington institution.
The blue banner unfurled on Thursday between two columns in a corner of the agency’s headquarters includes the slogan: “Make America Safe Again.”
Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has moved aggressively to imprint his image and influence on federal institutions.
He has reshaped cultural and policy bodies by installing loyalists, renamed prominent institutions, and sidelined officials linked to past probes, steps critics say blur the lines between political power and traditionally independent government functions.
Banners bearing Trump’s image were affixed last year to the Department of Labor, the Department of Agriculture and the US Institute for Peace buildings.
A board of directors appointed by the president voted in December to add Trump’s name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Trump’s name was also affixed last year to the US Institute of Peace building in Washington.
The White House referred questions about the latest banner to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement cited by NBC News, a DOJ spokesperson said the department was “proud” to celebrate its “historic work to make America safe again at President Trump’s direction.”
In 2023, former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith secured indictments accusing Trump of illegally retaining classified documents following his first term in office and of plotting to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election.
Trump falsely claimed that he won the 2020 election. His supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the Congress from certifying the results of that election. After taking office for a second time in January 2025, Trump pardoned the rioters.
Trump denied wrongdoing in the cases against him, calling them politically motivated. Smith dropped both cases against the Republican after Trump won the 2024 election, citing a Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Smith resigned from the Justice Department days before Trump returned to the White House early last year.
The Trump administration’s Justice Department has since targeted and fired many officials involved in probes against the Republican leader.
The blue banner unfurled on Thursday between two columns in a corner of the agency’s headquarters includes the slogan: “Make America Safe Again.”
Since returning to the White House last year, Trump has moved aggressively to imprint his image and influence on federal institutions.
He has reshaped cultural and policy bodies by installing loyalists, renamed prominent institutions, and sidelined officials linked to past probes, steps critics say blur the lines between political power and traditionally independent government functions.
Banners bearing Trump’s image were affixed last year to the Department of Labor, the Department of Agriculture and the US Institute for Peace buildings.
A board of directors appointed by the president voted in December to add Trump’s name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Trump’s name was also affixed last year to the US Institute of Peace building in Washington.
The White House referred questions about the latest banner to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement cited by NBC News, a DOJ spokesperson said the department was “proud” to celebrate its “historic work to make America safe again at President Trump’s direction.”
In 2023, former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith secured indictments accusing Trump of illegally retaining classified documents following his first term in office and of plotting to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election.
Trump falsely claimed that he won the 2020 election. His supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent the Congress from certifying the results of that election. After taking office for a second time in January 2025, Trump pardoned the rioters.
Trump denied wrongdoing in the cases against him, calling them politically motivated. Smith dropped both cases against the Republican after Trump won the 2024 election, citing a Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Smith resigned from the Justice Department days before Trump returned to the White House early last year.
The Trump administration’s Justice Department has since targeted and fired many officials involved in probes against the Republican leader.
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