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Ukraine and Nordic-Baltic Nations Launch New Initiative to Train and Equip Ukrainian Forces
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukraine and several Northern European nations have launched a new Scandinavian-Baltic Initiative to train and equip Ukrainian forces, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on October 15.
During the 31st meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), Shmyhal and Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik signed a Memorandum of Understanding that formalizes the parties’ participation in the initiative.
The project brings together Ukraine and nine Nordic and Baltic states—Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, and Sweden.
“This is an important step in cooperation between allies to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Ukraine needs to build up its military through both training and equipment, and through this cooperation, that is exactly what we are doing,” said Norwegian Defense Minister Tore O. Sandvik.
The goal of the initiative is to establish a unified framework to support Ukraine through training and equipping its troops under Operation Legio, an international program launched in 2024 and currently scheduled to run until 2026.
Under the framework, partner-nation instructors will train Ukrainian troops, equip multiple units with weapons in quantities equivalent to a brigade, and conduct preparation on Polish territory. The initiative also aims to deepen Ukraine’s security and defense ties with Scandinavian and Baltic partners.
According to Sandvik, the agreement represents not only continued support for Ukraine but also an opportunity for partner nations to learn from Kyiv’s unique combat experience.
🇱🇹@LTU_Army troops give Ukrainians the skills they need on the battlefield. We continue to train Ukrainian troops in 4 different formats: nationally, with Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland), in 🇬🇧INTERFLEX operation & 🇪🇺EUMAM Ukraine mission.
— Lithuanian MOD 🇱🇹 (@Lithuanian_MoD) May 15, 2023
🇺🇦#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/bja0rz4q5c
Shmyhal thanked the participating nations for their solidarity and ongoing assistance: “I am grateful to the countries of Northern Europe and the Baltics for their consistent and powerful support. My special thanks to Norway for its help and its readiness to expand our cooperation.”
Earlier, as part of Donation Package XXVII, the Danish Ministry of Defense reported that 400 million kroner (approximately $57 million) will go toward education and training equipment for Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
