Leaders of Ukraine, Norway to sign security agreement at earliest opportunity
Ukraine and Norway have completed negotiations on concluding a security agreement; the document will be signed at the earliest opportunity, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following a meeting with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide in Kyiv on Monday.
"Meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway. As always with Norway, substantive and quite practical. Our teams have already completed the preparation of a bilateral security agreement," Zelenskyy said in Telegram channel.
According to Zelenskyy's press service, the leaders agreed that they would sign this strategic document at the earliest opportunity.
The head of state also informed the interlocutor about the current security situation in the country, in particular about the intensification of massive rocket attacks on critical infrastructure by the aggressor state of Russia.
The situation in the field of air and missile defense of Ukraine was discussed separately, the parties exchanged views on possible areas for expanding assistance from Norway in this matter.
The President of Ukraine thanked Norway for its significant contribution to strengthening the defense capabilities of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, as well as for the significant military and humanitarian assistance amounting to about $7.1 billion, which Ukraine receives as part of the 2023-2027 Nansen Support Programme for Ukraine.
"We count on the support of the Norwegian government in making a decision to significantly expand the volume of assistance to Ukraine within the framework of this program," Zelenskyy said.