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Norway to allocate $257 million to bolster Ukraine's air defenses

by Kateryna Denisova and The Kyiv Independent news desk June 12, 2024 11:56 AM 1 min read

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) shakes hands with Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store (L) during a press conference following their talks in Kyiv, on Aug. 24, 2023. (Sergei Chuzavkov/AFP via Getty Images)

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Oslo will allocate 240 million euros ($257 million) to Ukraine as air defense support, Norway's Foreign Ministry announced on June 11.

The ministry said that 125 million euros ($134 million) of that sum would be devoted to the re-procurement of Patriot missiles for Ukraine under a German-led initiative.

While 32 missiles have already been sent over the past two days, an additional 68 will be delivered in the coming weeks, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on June 11. Denmark and the Netherlands will also join the deliveries.

Berlin launched the air defense initiative in April amid Kyiv's increasingly dire need for air defenses, facing heavy Russian aerial attacks against population centers and the energy grid.

Norway did not specify what the rest of the pledged sum would be spent on.

Oslo has recently ramped up efforts to increase defense production, both for domestic needs and for aid to Ukraine. Norway announced a new package of military aid for Kyiv in late May worth around $190 million.

Authors: Kateryna Denisova, The Kyiv Independent news desk

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