Norway had allocated 1.6 billion Norwegian kroner ($153 million) to the Czech-led initiative to buy hundreds of thousands of sorely needed artillery shells for Ukraine, the Norwegian government announced on March 7.
"Ukraine urgently needs large quantities of artillery ammunition to withstand the Russian war of aggression," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said.
As Ukraine faces critical ammunition shortages due to delays in U.S. aid, Czech President Petr Pavel said that Prague identified 800,000 artillery shells abroad that could be sent to Ukraine within weeks if allies secure financing.
The overall cost of the purchase is estimated at $1.5 billion, the Financial Times reported.
After Prague secured the backing of several allies, including Canada, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and other countries, the necessary funds for the purchase have been nearly fully raised, Bloomberg reported.
Norway has recently ramped up efforts to increase defense production, both for domestic needs and for supporting Ukraine. Oslo allocated 2 billion Norwegian kroner ($190 million) in January for this purpose.
In 2023, Norway allocated around $1 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, the Norwegian government said.
Francis Farrell
