Nordic countries pledge continued military support for Ukraine, back Zelenskyy’s victory plan
Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden committed over €20 billion ($21 billion) in military, financial, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and pledged to maintain their support indefinitely, according to a joint statement issued at the fourth Ukraine-Nordic Summit in Reykjavik on 28 October.Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 of Ukraine, the Nordic countries have taken a strong and unified stance in support of Ukraine, providing billions of military aid, financial assistance, and humanitarian relief. They aim to enhance Ukraine’s military capabilities through bilateral security agreements, including air defense and maritime warfare, while also working to boost Ukraine’s defense industry production.The summit focused on strengthening air defense capabilities, including potential Patriot systems, and expanding defense production both in Ukraine and partner nations, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X.The leaders of Nordic countries collectively endorsed Ukraine’s Victory Plan, which outlines steps toward achieving what Zelenskyy termed “a just peace,” and committed to strengthening Ukraine’s position ahead of a second Peace Summit.They emphasized their support for Ukraine’s NATO membership, stating that “Ukraine’s future place is in NATO” and welcomed the opening of EU accession negotiations.The Nordic countries also committed to maintaining pressure on Russia through sanctions and measures against the shadow fleet transporting Russian oil used to circumvent existing restrictions. This fleet enables Russia to finance its military operations, and Nordic partners are seeking broader support from the EU and G7 to address this issue.The summit addressed immediate winter needs through a package focusing on energy, social resilience, and humanitarian support, recently delivered during the Nordic Baltic Foreign Ministers’ visit to Odesa. This comes as Ukraine awaits Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure that would leave millions of civilians without electricity and force the country to have scheduled power cuts.Source
