Norway, Sweden, Denmark Give $500 Million to NATO Project to Send US Weapons to Ukraine

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would supply Ukraine with weapons and NATO allies would be paying for them.

A launcher of a Patriot air defense system of the Ukrainian Air Forces is seen on the ground in an undisclosed location in Ukraine on Aug. 4, 2024. Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

Norway, Sweden, and Denmark pledged to collectively contribute $500 million to an initiative aimed at providing U.S.-made weapons to Ukraine, the Norwegian government said on Tuesday.

The countries are among the first to finance military support packages for Ukraine, coordinated through NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirement List (PURL) initiative. NATO allies will send materiel, including munitions for Patriot systems, to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the United States would supply Ukraine with weapons, and NATO allies would be paying for them.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the NATO-U.S. initiative ensures that Kyiv can quickly receive defensive military equipment, “and it strengthens cooperation between the United States and European countries in their support of Ukraine.”

The Norwegian government said that further details of the procurement will be clarified in coordination with NATO, the United States, and other allies.

For the $500 million PURL package, Norway will provide about $135 million (about 1.5 billion Norwegian kroner), Sweden $275 million (about 2.7 billion Swedish kronor), and Denmark $90 million (about 580 million Danish kroner).

Swedish Minister for Defence Pal Jonson said in a separate statement that Stockholm welcomed the United States’s decision to provide defense materiel to Kyiv.

“Ukraine urgently needs the support of Allies and partners to defend itself against Russia’s aggression,” Jonson said.

Danish Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen said that “speed is absolutely critical” to getting the arms procurement in motion. He added that if Ukraine needs additional funding at a later date, “we are willing to consider that as well.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte commended the allies, saying that since the Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine in 2022, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden have been steadfast in their support of Kyiv.

Netherlands First to Contribute

On Monday, the Netherlands was the first country to announce a defense package under the PURL initiative.

Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on X that the Netherlands will deliver a 500 million euro ($579 million) package of U.S. weapons systems, including Patriot parts and missiles to Kyiv.

“This helps Ukraine to defend itself and the rest of Europe against Russian aggression,” he said.

Rutte said in a statement that he has written to all NATO allies to urge them to contribute to the packages, and expects to hear announcements from other allies soon.

NATO is overseeing the delivery of the aid packages, with Supreme Allied Commander Europe Alexus Grynkewich responsible for validating them to ensure they align with Kyiv’s needs, such as ammunition, air defense systems, and other critical materiel.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday thanked the four northern European nations for their recent commitments, writing on X, “This will be felt.”

“And it will serve as a strong example for other NATO countries to strengthen the security ties between America and Europe and to ensure protection from Russian strikes,” he added.

Zelenskyy also offered his thanks to Trump, writing that his country was grateful “for all efforts toward a just and lasting peace.”

Europe Now Surpasses US in Ukraine Military Aid

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy, which maintains a Ukraine support tracker, estimates that as of June, European countries provided 72 billion euros ($83 billion) compared to 65 billion euros ($65 billion) from the United States. The institute noted that Europe had, for the first time since June 2022, surpassed the United States in total military aid for Ukraine.

“However, the increase has not been evenly distributed across Europe. Countries such as the Nordics and the United Kingdom have markedly stepped up their aid, while others, such as Germany, have maintained more moderate levels,” the institute noted.

On Friday, Germany said it would deliver two of its Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine under the arms transfer network, with additional system components to be sent in the next two to three months.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that in return, the U.S. Department of Defense would ensure Germany would be the first nation to be able to purchase newly-produced, latest-generation Patriot systems “at an accelerated pace.”

Pistorius said Germany is “by far Ukraine’s strongest supporter in the field of air defense.”

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Russia this week, as Trump’s Aug. 8 deadline for Russia to deal with Ukraine looms.

“They would like to see [Witkoff]. They’ve asked that he meet, so we’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters before departing Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 3.

Trump said Witkoff should arrive in Russia by Aug. 6 or 7.

Ryan Morgan contributed to this report.