Norway has pledged the equivalent of almost a billion euros in additional aid to Ukraine. The payments should extend over a period of two years, the government said on Friday during a visit by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store to the war-torn country. The ten billion Norwegian kroner should flow into humanitarian aid, the reconstruction of the country, weapons and support for the authorities.
“We stand with the Ukrainian people,” Store said. “We support the Ukrainians in their struggle for freedom. They are fighting for their country, but also for our democratic values.” Store had visited the capital Kyiv and the town of Jahidne, which had been devastated by the war. He then described Jahidne as “a glimpse of hell on earth,” according to Norwegian news agency NTB.
Oslo had previously pledged financial aid to Ukraine and also announced on Wednesday that it would deliver three multiple-rocket artillery systems – a weapon that Kyiv says it is particularly dependent on for the defense of the eastern region of Donbass.