Norway to Allocate $376 Million for Ammunition Purchases for Ukraine

Norway has pledged NOK 4 billion ($376 million) to support the Czech initiative aimed at procuring artillery ammunition for Ukraine in 2025, according to an announcement on the Norwegian government’s official website.

Additionally, Norway will allocate another NOK 1 billion ($94 million) to the European Peace Facility, further strengthening its commitment to international peace and security.

“Artillery shells are essential for Ukraine’s struggle to defend itself against the Russian invasion. This is why it is also important for Norway to help replenish Ukraine’s ammunition stocks,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

The allocation of funding for the Czech initiative is part of the military aid increase for Ukraine in 2025, which was announced in March, raising the total to $7.8 billion.

Cooperation in Ammunition Production

At the end of March, it was reported that the Norwegian company NAMMO, one of the leading manufacturers of artillery ammunition, and a Ukrainian defense enterprise had signed an agreement on strategic cooperation.

The document deepens the existing collaboration, which is supported by the governments of Norway and Ukraine at the bilateral level. It covers a broader range of ammunition, their components, and materials.

At the end of August 2024, it became known that Ukraine would establish the production of 155 mm shells using NAMMO technology.

The Norwegian government provided funding under the Nansen program, which allowed the company to transfer technologies and expertise to an unnamed Ukrainian partner.

Czech ammunition initiative

It was recently revealed that the Czech initiative regarding ammunition for Ukraine had enough resources to ensure monthly supplies until September 2025. With significant contributions from Norway, this timeline is likely to be extended.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský stated this at the NATO summit in Brussels, according to the European Pravda media.

“First of all, with regard to the Czech initiative, it is important that we were able to secure funding, and now this initiative has enough resources to provide Ukraine with monthly ammunition until September,” he said.

Lipavský emphasized that the initiative had received sufficient funding thanks to contributions from Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, and Denmark.

“This initiative has reduced the effectiveness of Russian artillery by 500%. We have reduced the ratio (of the number of shells in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Russia – ed.) from 1 to 10 to 1 to 2, and this is very important,” the Czech Foreign Minister stated.

According to him, in 2024, the Czech industry supplied 1.5 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, half a million of which were 155 mm and 152 mm ammunition.