Norway plans to significantly boost its support for Ukraine, proposing to increase the Nansen program from 75 billion to 135 billion Norwegian kroner ($13 billion) by 2030.
According to Panorama Nyheter, the Norwegian government proposed increasing aid to Ukraine by 5 billion Norwegian kroner (about $477 million) this year and providing at least 15 billion Norwegian kroner (about $1.4 billion) annually until 2030.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre announced the proposal after meeting with parliamentary leaders in the Storting on 20 September.
The proposal also includes extending the program by three years, from 2027 to 2030.
“The consequences of the war are absolutely, absolutely enormous. One of the strengths of the Storting is that when there is something difficult, we stand together,” Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum explained the decision.
However, the opposition Liberal Party, while supporting increased aid to Ukraine, expressed disappointment with the government’s proposal, arguing, “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.”
The Nansen program encompasses both military and civilian support for Ukraine.
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Norway has provided substantial aid to Ukraine. Recently, Norway allocated an additional 570 million Norwegian kroner ($14 million) to the International Fund for Ukraine to purchase drones and air defense systems.
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