Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met with his Norwegian counterpart Espen Barth Eide in Kyiv to discuss a long-term support package for Ukraine, the expansion of the Fritjof Nansen Program, and Norway's participation in helping to obtain Patriot air defense systems from other countries. Kuleba said this during a joint press conference, UNN reports.
"In general, political dialogue between our countries is actively developing. Last December, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Norway. The Norwegian Prime Minister was in Kyiv on Independence Day. Indeed, our ties, which began with the Vikings, have now returned to the same powerful dynamics. Let me remind you that Norway is one of Ukraine's largest and most consistent partners. We highly appreciate the five-year long-term support package for Ukraine, the Fridtjof Nansen Program. Today we talked not only about how to use this program, but also about the fact that there is an objective need to increase it," Kuleba said.
He noted that discussions on increasing the program are ongoing in Norway.
"We will be grateful for a quick decision. I am grateful to Norway for its participation in the aviation coalition. We discussed the progress of pilot training for F-16s and the transfer of these aircraft. The process is going according to plan. We also discussed the Ukrainian Formula for Peace. Norway is taking an active position here and we are grateful for it. But the main topic of the talks was air defense systems," Kuleba added.
The Minister emphasized that Norwegian NASAMS systems have proven to be extremely effective in Ukraine.
"We are grateful that the Norwegian government is making efforts to ensure that Ukraine has more such systems, but the Norwegian government has the tools and capabilities to help us get Patriot systems, and we have also discussed this topic today," the Foreign Minister summarized.
Recall
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged international partners to take extraordinary, bold steps and transfer air defense systems, weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.