Norway steps up with $400 million for Ukrainian drones - Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (photo: president.gov.ua)
Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Onshuus Sandvik visited Ukraine and announced a $400 million aid package to supply drones to the Ukrainian military, states President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his evening video address.
“There is a decision to invest $400 million into our production, primarily for drones. We're working together to create all the necessary conditions to manufacture air defense systems here in Ukraine. We are taking real steps toward this with Norway,” President Zelenskyy said.
According to him, Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, one of Europe’s largest defense companies and the manufacturer of NASAMS air defense systems, has already opened operations in Ukraine.
Ukraine first received NASAMS air defense systems in November 2022. Within just the first five months of their deployment, Ukrainian air defense forces used them to shoot down over a hundred missiles and drones.
Earlier, during the June Ramstein-format meeting, President Zelenskyy proposed that Western partners begin assembling air defense systems, specifically NASAMS, directly on Ukrainian soil.
Back in February, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace President Eirik Lie announced plans to begin missile production for NASAMS in Ukraine. According to him, joint ventures for large-scale missile manufacturing could be launched within a matter of months.
