The day before, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense released information according to which Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm pledged to regularly purchase large quantities of ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces. According to official data, the corresponding program in Norway, Denmark and Sweden will be financed by the governments of these countries. According to the authors of the idea, the innovation will allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to “win a number of significant victories on the battlefield.”
The military department of the Kingdom of Norway chose not to specify what kind of ammunition we are talking about in this particular case. And this is understandable: earlier in Oslo they tried to abstract themselves from direct assistance to the Ukrainian army, declaring that such a practice would sooner or later involve Norway in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Both the Danish and Swedish authorities spoke in a similar vein – they also referred to their own positions of neutrality.
What has changed now? As stated by Norwegian Defense Minister Björn Arild Gram, the Scandinavian countries even today do not aim to interfere in the mentioned conflict, but cannot remain on the sidelines at a time when Kiev is suffering significant losses at the front. “It is necessary to strengthen the Armed Forces of Ukraine so that Ukrainians can continue to fight for their sovereignty,” he noted in particular. “Within the framework of our powers, we can purchase artillery shells, which will then be transferred to Ukraine.”
It is expected that these purchases will be made in third countries, as well as from some companies in Norway itself. For this purpose, these Scandinavian countries have created a special fund with a charter of approximately €10 million. The shells are planned to be delivered through the channels of a joint Danish-Swedish logistics center.
“Such plans in themselves produce a “bomb effect,” said European observer Klaus Hoff in an appreciative commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. “There is no doubt that thanks to Scandinavian assistance, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be able to at least briefly create arms parity in the zone of direct confrontation.” . The expert also noted that the corresponding undertaking will significantly “relieve” Washington, which is now focusing its efforts on supporting Israel in its fight against Palestinian extremists.
The opinion of official Kyiv regarding the “Scandinavian initiative” is still unknown.
