Ukraine remains Norway's top foreign policy priority – PM Stoere

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said this after signing a declaration on defense partnership together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo on Tuesday. The briefing was broadcast on the YouTube channel of Ukraine's Presidential Office and retransmitted by Ukrinform.

"Ukraine remains a key priority for Norwegian foreign policy. And today we have signed a joint declaration on enhanced defense and security cooperation," Stoere said.

He stressed that Norway supports Ukraine's fight for independence and its right to exist, making a significant contribution, as Ukraine is the largest recipient of Norwegian aid.

"But this is not a one-way traffic. This is mutual cooperation and we agreed to work towards the strategic partnership between Norway and Ukraine because Ukraine is providing a lot in return," Stoere said, stressing that Norway can learn from Ukraine's experience gained in its difficult fight against Russian aggression, particularly in terms of societal resilience.

"We want to organize this in a framework of strategic cooperation where we can also exchange experiences in the spirit of partnership. It is crucial that we learn from these experiences and can tailor our own armed forces as we are developing our long-term defense planning based on these um experiences," Stoere said.

He explained that this includes cooperation on drone development, industrial collaboration, and other areas.

"We now have Ukrainian production in Norway, and we support production in Ukraine," he said.

He also mentioned cooperation in the energy sector, where Norway has experience to share.

Photo: Video screenshot from the Presidential Office