United to win: Ukraine and Norway strengthen defense and energy partnership with two agreements

24.08.2026, 11:08 rubryka.com

According to Norway's prime minister, the main goal of the strategic partnership is to strengthen the defense capability and resilience of both Ukraine and Norway.

A separate part of the agreements concerns energy. The Norwegian government said Oslo would continue supporting Ukraine in protecting its critical energy infrastructure.

Norway will also continue to help restore and modernize Ukraine's destroyed energy infrastructure and to reduce the vulnerability of Ukraine's energy supply.

In addition to the strategic partnership declaration, Ukraine and Norway signed the so-called "Drone Deal." This agreement aims to ensure even closer cooperation between the Ukrainian and Norwegian defense sectors and industries.

According to Støre, the agreement provides for the intensification of the exchange of technology and expertise between the two countries.

Serhii Koretskyi also said the Drone Deal opens up new opportunities for joint production and the development of defense technologies.

According to him, during the meeting, the parties also discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defense, preparing the country for winter, and ensuring its financial resilience.

Koretskyi separately thanked Norway for its decision to maintain support for Ukraine in 2027 under the Nansen program at around 9 billion US dollars.

"Norway is one of Ukraine's key partners. Its contribution to our security and resilience cannot be overestimated," the Ukrainian prime minister said.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyi also confirmed the signing of the document during the Ukraine-Nordic-Baltic Eight summit in Kyiv.

According to the head of state, Ukraine and Norway signed an agreement on defense technology cooperation, which the parties call the Drone Deal.

As the head of state emphasized, the agreement should become the basis for further cooperation between the two countries in:

Thus, the documents signed in Kyiv cover several areas of cooperation at once — from defense and drone technologies to the protection and restoration of energy infrastructure.

BackgroundThe Drone Deal is a multi-year international cooperation program initiated by Ukraine and aimed at comprehensive interaction in security and defense. Its goal is to use Ukraine's wartime experience, as well as Ukrainian expertise and technologies, to develop solutions that strengthen the shared security of countries.

The Drone Deal may include a range of projects depending on partners' specific requests: air defense development, scaling up drone technologies, training programs, and defense industry production. The entire system is built on Ukrainian combat experience.

The 10-year format of the agreements allows the parties to build a more flexible yet stable partnership. These agreements are designed for the long term and create a foundation for stable financing of cooperation.

It should be noted that during celebrations for Ukrainian Statehood Day on July 15, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the launch of a new defense industry partnership between the European Union and Ukraine.

Moreover, on July 7, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, during which the leaders signed an agreement in the Drone Deal format. At the time, officials reported that the number of Drone Deals signed by Ukraine had grown to nine. Work with around 20 more countries is at various stages of negotiations.