Norway will provide Ukraine with an additional NOK 500 million (about $53 million) to finance public expenditures. The funds will be used to pay pensions, salaries for public sector employees, and social benefits in early 2027.
This was announced on November 6 by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs following a meeting between Minister Espen Barth Eide and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
The funding will go to Ukraine's state budget through a special multilateral World Bank fund. The money is intended to maintain essential public services and ensure social payments at the turn of 2026–2027.
In particular, Norwegian assistance will help finance:
- Pensions for Ukrainian pensioners.
- Salaries for teachers, healthcare workers, and other public sector employees.
- Social benefits and support for vulnerable groups.
- Costs of operating healthcare, education, and emergency services.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stressed that Ukraine's ability to resist Russian aggression depends not only on military aid but also on maintaining the normal functioning of state institutions.
According to him, Norwegian funding should help Ukrainian schools continue teaching children, hospitals provide medical care, and pensioners receive their due payments on time.
The current package will be the first Norwegian contribution to the civilian part of Ukraine's state budget for 2027.
The Norwegian government notes that the ongoing war places a significant burden on the Ukrainian economy. Increased public spending, infrastructure destruction, and reduced tax revenues make it harder for Ukraine to independently finance social obligations.
The funds provided will be used through a mechanism for reimbursing confirmed expenses. The World Bank verifies documents on payment of salaries, pensions, and social benefits, after which the corresponding costs are compensated from international funding.
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the mechanism includes special financial control procedures, including independent verification of the use of funds.
The announcement of the new aid package took place in Warsaw, where on November 6 a meeting of foreign ministers of Germany, Poland, the Nordic and Baltic states was held with the participation of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. The participants discussed support for Ukraine and diplomatic efforts ahead of the upcoming negotiations in Abu Dhabi.
Earlier, on November 3, the finance ministers of Ukraine and Norway discussed the needs of the Ukrainian budget for next year. As reported by the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, the need for external financing in 2027 is estimated at about $52.6 billion.
At the meeting, the Norwegian government's proposal to maintain the overall level of support for Ukraine in 2027 at NOK 85 billion was also considered. Of this amount, NOK 70 billion is earmarked for military assistance, and another NOK 15 billion for civilian and humanitarian needs.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Finance, from 2022 to 2026 Norway has already provided Ukraine with more than $700 million in direct budget support through World Bank mechanisms. These funds were used to finance priority social expenditures.
The new package of NOK 500 million is aimed at maintaining current payments and public services. The Norwegian government has not announced any increase in the amounts of pensions, salaries, or social benefits using these funds.
