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Norway to Allocate $933 Million to Train and Equip Ukraine’s Nordic-Baltic Brigade

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Ivan Khomenko
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Norway to Allocate $933 Million to Train and Equip Ukraine’s Nordic-Baltic Brigade
Mountain troops participate in NATO’s Nordic Response 2024 exercise in Alta, Norway. (Source: Getty Images)

Norway will provide €822 million (approximately 10 billion Norwegian kroner) to support the training and equipment of a new Ukrainian brigade being developed in coordination with Northern European and Baltic states.

The initiative is part of a broader international effort to bolster Ukraine’s defense capabilities amid continued Russian aggression.

According to Norway’s Ministry of Defense, the funding was announced by Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram during a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (Ramstein format) held in Brussels on Friday.

The support will be directed toward the formation of a fully equipped and trained ground combat unit known as the “Nordic-Baltic Brigade.”

The brigade is expected to consist of 3,000 to 5,000 personnel and will be formed using a flexible and scalable structure, combining various types of military equipment to ensure independent operational capability.

Norway emphasized that the funds will be used for both training individual units and acquiring materiel, including weapons, ammunition, and technical supplies, sourced from Norwegian, Ukrainian, and international industries.

The initiative builds on earlier cooperation established in 2024, when Northern European countries, including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland, along with the Baltic states, agreed to train and equip Ukrainian military units.

Norway’s contribution is part of its broader Nansen Support Program, which earmarks 85 billion Norwegian kroner ($8 million) in security assistance to Ukraine for 2025. In addition to forming the brigade, the program will also focus on maritime security, air defense systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, and the development of autonomous defense technologies.

The Nordic-Baltic Brigade project, originally proposed by Ukraine in September 2024, aims to consolidate various battalion-level contributions from partner nations into a cohesive and combat-ready force.

While the funding from Norway will not fully equip the brigade, it will significantly enhance the preparation of individual components based on Ukrainian defense needs.

Earlier, France trained and equipped the Ukrainian 155th Mechanized Brigade named after Anna of Kyiv, providing armored vehicles, artillery, and training for 2,300 soldiers. The training, which took place in France’s Grand Est region, included infantry combat, armored warfare with AMX-10 RC, air defense with Mistral missiles, and anti-tank operations with Milan systems.

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