Norway ups defence spend for Ukraine including $50 million for drones
The Black Hornet drone was acquired by Norway and the UK to donate to Ukraine from 2022. (Photo: Torbjørn Kjosvold, Forsvaret)
Norway previously committed to spend NOK700 million on drones for Ukraine as part of a multinational effort in January 2025, as the latter country enters the third year-anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Russian forces.
Norway has announced plans to provide a further NOK3.5 billion (US$312 million) for the procurement of military equipment for Ukraine, from the Ukrainian defence industry. It also plans to provide NOK600 million (US$53.9 million) for the procurement of various drones and the development of drone technology for the Ukrainian armed forces.
“By purchasing military equipment directly from Ukraine, we are helping to increase the country’s production capacity, which is a crucial component of our military support,” said Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
In January 2025, Norway announced that it was donating NOK 700 million to a multinational initiative – funds that would partly go towards procuring drones for Ukraine. In February, Norway became a member of the Drone Capability Coalition for Ukraine, led by Latvia and the UK. The NOK600 million announced this month will reportedly be in addition to the amount announced in January.
“Norway is already contributing significantly to the acquisition and development of drones, and we see it as natural for Norway to also become a member of the drone coalition that has been established," said Norway Minister of Defense Tore O Sandvik.
Norway joins Sweden as the second Scandinavian country to announce additional support for Ukraine in 2025. The latter country recently announced a SEK1.2 billion (US$112 million) donation for air defence systems to Ukraine. It also plans to increase defence cooperation with Denmark, with proposals from Norway and Denmark to be released in May 2025.
The proposals will reportedly look at building on its Nordic cooperation within the framework of NATO, and “investigating opportunities for stronger industrial ties to support our own defence sectors and our continued commitment to Ukraine”.
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