Eight Baltic and Nordic countries announced a joint $500 million weapons and munitions military aid package for Ukraine on 13 November.

The package is designed to strengthen Ukraine’s defence capabilities ahead of winter, as Russia intensifies strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure. It will supply critical weapons and ammunition sourced from the United States through NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative.

Eight northern allies declare "Ukraine's security is directly connected to ours"

The countries involved - Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden - confirmed the package during the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Helsinki. 

In a joint statement, they reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s security, calling it “fundamental to European security” and emphasizing the need for long-term, coordinated military support.

The statement said the package is one of many ways the NB8 supports Ukraine’s ability to deter future Russian aggression. “We will not allow [Russia’s war of aggression] to succeed. Ukraine’s security is directly connected to ours,” the ministers said.

How NATO's PURL initiative pools allied funds for urgent Ukraine weapons deliveries

The Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) allows NATO allies to pool funds to purchase US-supplied weapons, munitions, and military equipment for Ukraine. 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed the announcement: “This equipment is extremely important as Ukraine enters the winter months, and deliveries through PURL are flowing into Ukraine. NATO Allies will continue to deliver essential equipment and supplies.”

The aid package will provide high-priority military equipment such as missiles, precision weapons, air defence systems, long-range artillery shells, HIMARS rockets, and guided aerial bombs. 

Norway’s Defence Minister Tore O. Sandvik noted that PURL ensures Ukraine receives urgent equipment quickly, and Sweden highlighted the package’s contribution to strengthening Ukraine’s air-defence capabilities.

Norway leads with $200M, Lithuania commits funds through 2026

Norway is contributing the largest share at roughly NOK 2 billion (~$200 million), Sweden $60 million, Denmark around 400 million Danish kroner (~$53 million), and Lithuania $30 million.

Lithuania also earmarked funds for next year and stressed the importance of using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s defence spending.

Beyond weapons: Nordic-Baltic Eight expands brigade training in Poland

The NB8 meeting also addressed broader initiatives, including training Ukrainian brigades in collaboration with Baltic, Nordic, and Polish forces. Lithuania will contribute €12 million worth of equipment, ammunition, grenades, and a mobile training team to the OP-LEGIO Training Centre in Poland.

Ministers emphasized that Russia’s aggression poses a long-term threat to European security, the transatlantic community, and the rules-based international order. 

Estonia’s Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said maintaining support for Ukraine will remain central to the NB8’s agenda during Estonia’s presidency next year.

Pressure is building in Norway to use its vast sovereign wealth fund to help move forward the European Union’s stalled €140 billion loan for Ukraine - a proposal now gaining traction as part of efforts to overcome Belgium’s objections to using frozen Russian assets.

The EU’s proposed reparations loan would tap into about €190-210 billion in frozen Russian state assets held in Europe to use as collateral to finance Ukraine’s recovery and budget needs. Legal and political disputes, led by Belgium, where most assets are held by the clearing house Euroclear, have delayed the plan.

The idea of Norway stepping in to guarantee part of the loan has revived debate over the country’s wartime windfall. After overtaking Russia as Europe’s main gas supplier, Norway earned roughly €109 billion in extra revenues from surging prices in 2022-2023, prompting accusations it had become a “war profiteer.”

Several Norwegian parties, including those aligned with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre’s governing bloc, have urged Oslo to help “break the impasse.” Opposition politicians argue that Norway’s €1.8 trillion fund gives it the financial strength and moral duty to act. 

“Norway has the means to guarantee a loan that would help Ukraine defend itself,” said Guri Melby, leader of the opposition Liberal Party. Greens leader Arild Hermstad added that Norway’s profit from the war made such support “a moral obligation.”

The proposal, first floated by two Norwegian economists in Denmark’s Politiken and endorsed by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen as “a great idea,” has since entered mainstream discussion in Oslo. 

Støre has ordered a “full review” of possible involvement, while Norway’s finance ministry said it is “closely monitoring the situation and continuing dialogue with the EU.”

Norway has already committed 275 billion kroner (€27 billion) in civil and military aid to Ukraine through 2030. While officials stress there are no current plans for Oslo to act as a single guarantor, the debate underscores how Europe’s wealthiest energy producer is being drawn deeper into discussions on how to fund Ukraine’s war effort.

EU leaders are expected to revisit the issue in the coming months as Brussels looks for ways to meet Kyiv’s €55 billion funding needs for the next two years without adding pressure to national budgets.

The Ukrainian skies are growing stronger. In the coming days, Kyiv will receive two MIM-104 Patriot launcher units from its European partners, according to the German Aid to Ukraine channel. 

European support: Germany, Denmark, Lithuania, and Norway

"Reminder: The in early August 2025 announced delivery of two MIM-104 Patriot fire units from Bundeswehr stocks to Ukraine, which have largely been financed by Denmark, Lithuania and Norway, is scheduled to be completed in the following days!” German Aid to Ukraine wrote on X.

A contract for 25 Patriot systems: a long queue 

In October, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is preparing a contract to purchase 25 Patriot systems. Deliveries will take place gradually over several years, as the systems are produced.

“We ask our partners to give up their place in line so that the Patriots are delivered first to Ukraine, not to countries that are not at war,” the Ukrainian leader emphasized.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Air Forces spokesperson Yuri Ihnat said that Russia was modifying its missiles to evade Ukraine’s air defenses, including US-made Patriot systems. 

Russia fights against the light. On 30 October, Russian aviation dropped guided bombs on the Sloviansk Thermal Power Plant. Two people were killed, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

This is a deliberate attempt to paralyze the energy sector, leave civilians without electricity and heat, and create a humanitarian crisis. The terrorist attack also breaches international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions.

Using violence to intimidate civilians in order to force political or military decisions qualifies as terror and may constitute a war crime.

"This is pure terror"

The strike on the Sloviansk TPP is also a violation of international legislation because the facility is civilian, the attack caused deaths and injuries among civilians, and it created a threat to the population’s energy security.

“A few hours ago, there was a strike on the Sloviansk TPP — Russian bombs. Unfortunately, two people were killed. My condolences. There are injured,” said Zelenskyy.

Part of the Donbas fortress belt

Donbas is an industrial area in the east of Ukraine that includes two regions: Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The Russians have been attempting to seize them for 12 years. 

Control over Sloviansk would enable Russian occupiers to strengthen their defenses and establish logistical routes for further operations in the Donbas, including those toward Kramatorsk.

Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Pokrovsk are part of the Donbas fortress belt. Together, these cities form Ukraine’s eastern stronghold. If it falls, the defensive ring could be flanked, leaving the heart of Donbas vulnerable. 

Ukraine counters terror with Norway, Germany, Netherlands

In his night address to the nation, Zelenskyy emphasized that Russia deliberately conducts terrorist attacks on civilian energy infrastructure, and the world must respond. 

"This is pure terror. Such Russian warfare requires an appropriate response from the world," he claimed. 

Zelenskyy reported that active negotiations are underway with partners to strengthen Ukraine’s energy sector, supply equipment, and compensate for losses.

Specifically:

• Norway — agreements to support gas purchases.
• Germany, Italy, Netherlands — cooperation on electricity generation equipment.
• European Commission — expected support for energy resilience.
• G7 — Ukraine’s Energy Minister is holding negotiations with the energy ministers of the G7.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Norway on 22 October, for talks with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, NRK reported.

Zelenskyy landed at Gardermoen Airport under strict security measures. First Lady Olena Zelenska and Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha accompanied him on the trip.

"This will be a historic meeting, absolutely," Sybiha told NRK.

Store confirmed that recent developments have shifted the focus of territorial discussions. "What has happened in recent days is that the starting point for territorial issues is the frontline. The one that exists now," the Norwegian prime minister said.

Norway announced an additional 1.5 billion kroner in aid to secure electricity and heating in Ukraine. "Norway's support for Ukraine is strong and continues. It is crucial to have close dialogue with Ukrainian authorities, so that the support meets the needs on the ground in Ukraine," Store said.

The meeting comes days after Zelenskyy's visit to Washington D.C., where he met with US President Donald Trump. Following that meeting, Trump stated that the war should end at current frontlines, with Russia largely retaining the territories it controls.

"We think they should just stop where the lines are now," Trump said, according to Reuters. He added: "It's divided up now. I think 78 % of the country is already taken by Russia."

When asked if he had asked Zelenskyy to cede the entire Donbas region to Russia, Trump answered no. "Let it be what it is."

Store emphasized the importance of a united European response. "I was in conversations with Zelenskyj after that meeting with Trump. Europeans very much support his position. This meeting is to talk further with Ukraine as part of the conversations Ukraine has with European partners," he said.

Asked whether the meeting was arranged because European leaders are uncertain about Trump and his intentions toward Putin, Støre responded: "This is an issue that is in motion, and then it is important that Europe stands together."

Zelenskyy is scheduled to travel to Sweden later Wednesday to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. According to a press release from the Swedish government, they will discuss the war in Ukraine and defense cooperation.

The visit occurs as Russian attacks continue. Overnight on 22 October, six people, including two children, were killed in an attack on Kyiv.

"The massive attack continues. Please stay in shelters," Ukrainian Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk wrote on X. The attack targeted energy facilities and the power grid, carried out with both drones and missiles.

Last week in Washington, Zelenskyy sought to secure Tomahawk missiles, which have a range five times greater than the ATACMS missiles Ukraine has previously received from the US. He left without obtaining them.

After the meeting, Zelenskyy expressed confidence in US support.

"We trust the USA, and we trust that Trump wants to end this war," he said.

On 20 October, Trump said he does not believe Ukraine will win the war against Russia. "They can still win it. I don't think they will, but they can still win it," he told reporters, according to Reuters.

Trump also commented on postponing a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest. "I'm not interested in a wasted meeting," Trump told journalists in the Oval Office.

Norway will send F-35 fighter jets to Poland in the fall to protect the Rzeszow-Yasenka airport, one of the key transportation hubs for NATO military aid to Ukraine, Norwegian Defense Ministry announced on June 30.

The news came as Russia has escalated attacks against Ukrainian cities over the past weeks, launching record 400-500 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) per night.

Norway is thus strengthening its contribution to NATO's air and missile defense, while the main goal of the mission is to support the protection of Polish airspace and a key logistics center for assistance to Ukraine, the statement read.

"This is a vital contribution. We are helping ensure that support to Ukraine reaches its destination, and that Ukraine can continue its fight for freedom," Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik said.

The Rzeszow-Jasionka airport is located less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the Ukrainian border and transports a significant percentage of Western materiel bound for the front lines in Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that 90% of aid for Ukraine was going through the airport in Rzeszow as of Novermber 2024.

It is also a main stopover point for foreign leadership traveling to Kyiv on official visits.

In January, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Berlin will deploy the promised Patriot air defenses around the Polish airport to protect it.

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The Kyiv IndependentYuliia Taradiuk

Lithuania has signed a memorandum with American defense firm Northrop Grumman and Norwegian Nammo to secure the production of ammunition amid Russia's war against Ukraine, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry announced on June 24.

"By strengthening our national defense industry, we are investing in both technological capabilities and Lithuania’s resilience to crises. This Memorandum of Understanding will allow us to better equip our armed forces and help Lithuania become an important link in international supply chains," Lithuanian Vice Minister of National Defense Loreta Maskalioviene said.

"The investment and expertise of our allies... will significantly contribute to strengthening of the national defense industry and security not only in Lithuania, but also in the entire region, including Ukraine. The development of the defense industry and investment in production must come without delay," Lithuanian Finance Minister Rimantas Sadzius said.

Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has sparked concern in Europe that Russia could attack NATO's eastern flank, including Poland, the Baltic countries, and Finland.

Ukrainian intelligence has evidence that Russia is preparing new military operations in Europe, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 22.

The partnership will be implemented at the state-owned Giraite Armament Factory, the announcement said, adding that the factory is set to be integrated into Northrop Grumman’s international supply chains.

Northrop Grumman will supply ammunition produced in the Lithuanian defense factory to the international market.

Nammo, as a subcontractor, will provide Northrop Grumman with the 35 mm ammunition production technology.

"It will enhance national strategic autonomy in defense and deepen partnerships with NATO allies, the United States, and Norway. The planned production of ammunition is of critical importance to the Lithuanian Armed Forces, our allies, and Ukraine," Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene said.

The memorandum will initiate negotiations for the production of medium caliber ammunition, ranging in size from 20-50 mm.

The Giraite Armament Factory will be provided with 35 mm ammunition production technology from the two defense firms, the announcement said.

Sakaliene noted that the new partnership will ensure an uninterrupted supply of ammunition to Lithuania's Armed Forces.

NATO is holding a summit in The Hague from June 24-25 with world leaders, including Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump present.

The White House has confirmed that Trump and Zelensky will hold a meeting at the NATO summit.

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Norway will invest $400 million in Ukraine's defense industry to support drone and air defense missile production, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address on June 22.

The announcement followed a visit to Ukraine by Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Onshuus Sandvik.

"Today, Norway’s Minister of Defense visited Ukraine. A decision has been reached to invest $400 million in our production – new funding, primarily for drones," Zelensky said.

Zelensky added that the two countries are also working together to establish joint air defense production inside Ukraine.

"We are working together to create all the necessary conditions to produce air defense systems in Ukraine — jointly with partners, jointly with Norway," Zelensky said.

He added that Norway's largest defense company – Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace – has already opened an office in Ukraine as part of the cooperation.

"We are expediting all processes to the maximum extent," Zelensky said.

On X, Norway's defense ministry confirmed that Kongsberg has signed agreement with a major Ukrainian company to jointly develop and produce missiles for air defense systems in Ukraine.

The collaboration will focus on producing missiles for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS.

"The Norwegian NASAMS system saves lives in Ukraine every day, and is crucial in protecting critical infrastructure. That is why it is important for the Norwegian Government to finance this development of cheaper missiles for the NASAMS system in Ukraine," said Minister Sandvik.

The announcement marks deepening ties between Kyiv and Oslo as Ukraine seeks to expand its domestic defense industry amid Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion and reduced military aid from the United States.

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