Norway provided over $500 million in aid to Ukraine since start of war

The Norwegian government has provided Ukraine with over US$500 million in direct budget support since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, says a statement by the Ukraine's Finance Ministry.

During a working meeting, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko and Norwegian Ambassador Helene Sand Andresen discussed the current economic situation in Ukraine, the needs of Ukraine’s state budget for 2024, and the development of cooperation between the two nations to expand budget support, Ukrainska Pravda reports.

"Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Government of Norway has provided Ukraine with more than US$500 million in direct budget support. In particular, a grant of about US$485 million was provided as part of the World Bank's Public Expenditures for Administrative Capacity Endurance (PEACE) Project," the statement reads.

The funding was used to cover public spending on priority social and humanitarian needs, including pensions, salaries for employees in the education and healthcare sectors, social welfare, and humanitarian support.

In addition, Norway joined the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine at the eighth meeting of the Steering Committee. Norway is one of four new member countries of the Platform that have committed a total of over US$5.5 billion to help rebuild and develop Ukraine's economy.

Norway has contributed NOK 240 million (roughly US$22 million) to the Support to Ukraine's Reconstruction and Economy (SURE) Trust Fund.