FILE - A Norwegian air force F-16 fighter lands at a Turkish air base in the Central Anatolian Turkish city of Konya on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2004. NATO-member Norway will donate F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine whose forces are embroiled in a difficult counteroffensive against Russia, Norwegian broadcasters NRK and TV2 said Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici, File)
FILE - A Norwegian air force F-16 fighter lands at a Turkish air base in the Central Anatolian Turkish city of Konya on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2004. NATO-member Norway will donate F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine whose forces are embroiled in a difficult counteroffensive against Russia, Norwegian broadcasters NRK and TV2 said Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici, File)
BOCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — NATO-member Norway will donate F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, whose forces are embroiled in a difficult counteroffensive against Russia, Norwegian media said Thursday. The reports came as Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was visiting Kyiv.
There was no official confirmation of the plan, which was reported by Norwegian broadcasters NRK and TV2.
Norway would be the third European country after the Netherlands and Denmark to donate F-16 planes.
Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter jets to give it a combat edge. It recently launched a long-anticipated against the Kremlin’s forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.
In February, oil-rich Norway announced that it is donating 75 billion kroner ($7 billion) to Kyiv as part of a five-year support package, making Norway one of the world’s biggest donors to Ukraine.
The money will be split evenly between military and humanitarian assistance over five years, broken down to 15 billion kroner ($1.4 billion) annually.
On Thursday, Norway announced it would donate anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine, saying ”air defense is critical to Ukraine’s ability to protect both the civilian population and front-line infrastructure and military units against any type of Russian air attack.”
“This is one of the largest Norwegian donations of military material to Ukraine to date,” Gahr Støre said in a statement.
The Norwegian government has long said it is considering sending F-16s to Ukraine. In January, Norway received the first of the 52 F-35s it has ordered. The new fighter jets are to replace Norway's fleet of F-16.
Last week, th announced that they will donate F-16 aircraft. Denmark said it will provide 19 planes, while the Netherlands has not said how many planes it will donate.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy toured several European countries, including the Netherlands and Denmark, but skipped Norway.
The ɫtv Press. All rights reserved.
For many Indigenous communities, access to financial services and economic opportu…
Trust in international money transfers has long been tied to physical places: a ba…
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Tax: | |
| Today's total: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
