Norway will finance purchase of weapons for Ukraine's F-16s
Illustrative photo (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Norway will allocate over $118 million for the purchase of weapons and spare parts for Ukrainian F-16s. Additionally, it will transfer six of these fighter jets to Ukrainian pilots this year, citing Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
Umerov said that he met in Odesa with Norway’s Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram. The Ukrainian minister expressed gratitude to his Norwegian counterpart for leading in providing Ukraine with a new military aid package of €500 million, as well as for the decision to transfer six F-16s by the end of the year.
According to the head of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, they discussed joint steps to strengthen air defense.
"Norway is ready to co-finance the strengthening of Ukrainian air defense and allocate $118.8 million to purchase weapon systems and spare parts for Ukrainian F-16s under the US Jumpstart initiative," said Umerov.
He added that such steps bring Ukraine closer to its strategic goal — a secure sky.
Another key topic of the ministers' discussions was cooperation in procurement and investments in Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex.
Additionally, the meeting covered the battlefield situation. Vice Admiral Oleksii Neyizhpapa provided an update on the conditions in the Black and Azov Seas.
"I am especially grateful to Norway for its leading role in the Maritime Capabilities Coalition, which has already proven effective. Today, we discussed concrete steps for further developing this initiative," Umerov said.
F-16 for Ukraine
Ukraine received its first batch of F-16 aircraft from partners in late July as part of military assistance. The exact number of aircraft included in this initial delivery is unknown.
It is expected that Ukraine will soon receive a second batch of F-16s from Norway. Umerov mentioned this following talks with Gram on October 17.
