Norwegian PM Encourages Largest Combat Strength Assistance For Ukraine

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere with Ukrainian President/PHOTO via Instagram @jonasgahrs

JAKARTA - Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere stressed his country should significantly increase financial aid to Ukraine and also increase its defense spending as global uncertainty increases.

Norway's home to the world's largest country's wealth fund with assets of $1.8 trillion experienced a surge in revenue from gas sales to Europe as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and faced pressure from within and outside the country to increase its aid.

Last year's parliament agreed to spend 35 billion crowns ($3.22 billion) on military and civilian support for Ukraine by 2025, thereby increasing the total framework, called the Nansen program, to 155 billion crowns from 2023 to 2030.

In recent days, Norwegian politicians have debated how much Oslo should support Ukraine, given the decline in US support for Kyiv and the fact that Norway's neighboring countries such as Sweden and Denmark have so far made larger donations.

As reported by Reuters on Thursday, March 6, Stoere did not mention any figures in his remarks, but stressed that a political party meeting on Thursday night should agree on a significant increase in the Nansen program this year to provide Ukraine with the "largest combat force".

Pemerintah juga berencana untuk lebih meningkatkan militer Norwegia sendiri.

This is the latest example of the European country's efforts to increase defense spending and maintain support for Ukraine after President Donald Trump frozen US military aid to Kyiv and sparked doubts about the country's commitment to NATO allies in Europe.

In 2023 alone, the inflow of wealth funds from oil and gas revenue swelled to 1.1 trillion or about $100 billion nearly tripled the previous record reached in 2008.

Nansen is a bilateral cross-party Norwegian aid program for Ukraine, taken from Nobel Peace Prize laureate Fridtjof Nansen.

The government has rules set alone not to spend more than 3% of the value of the funds for its fiscal budget. They plan to use 2.5% of the value of the funds in the 2025 budget, not only for Ukraine but also for other spending. Some politicians argue that Oslo can and should spend more.

"We still have a lot of room to maneuver before the spending rules are reached and we may have to go beyond it because the situation is extraordinary," Ine Eriksen Soereide, head of the overseas and defense affairs committee in parliament, told Reuters.