Norway's civil and military support program for Ukraine, known as the Nansen program, will be extended until 2030 and will be increased by a further 5 billion kroner ($475 million) this year, Oslo announced on Sept. 20.
The Nansen program will now have a total value of 135 billion kroner ($12.8 billion). The program initially was set to spend 75 billion kroner ($7 billion) from 2023 to 2028.
Oslo's decision will result in an additional $5.7 billion in Norwegian support for Ukraine until 2030, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
Zelensky said he was grateful to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and all political parties in the Norwegian Parliament.
"This unwavering commitment will help Ukraine protect lives, defend freedom, and strengthen our resilience," Zelensky said.
Norwegian news outlet Nettavisen said that the decision to expand the Nansen program came after the government "received massive criticism because Norway's support for Ukraine has lagged behind, compared to other countries."
Almost all Norwegian opposition parties demanded a significant increase in support for Ukraine, Nettavisen said.
Norway is ranked 12th in the world in terms of the amount of aid provided to Ukraine, having so far provided $2.6 billion in humanitarian, financial, and military support, according to the Kiel Institute's Ukraine Support Tracker.
