Støre and Zelensky signed a strategic partnership agreement in Kyiv on Sunday. It is now being stated for the first time that drones for Ukraine are being produced in Norway. This could make us a party to the war. Russia has already warned the United Kingdom. Denmark is also producing Ukrainian drones.
If European countries allow Ukrainian production to take place on their territory, which is NATO territory, that is something quite different from selling or donating weapons to Ukraine. When Ukraine produces behind NATO lines, it is protected from attack.
Ukraine uses drones to strike deep inside Russia. Russia may perceive these NATO countries as having become parties to the war and regard them as belligerents. There are legal definitions here of what constitutes a belligerent party.
– The partnership consists of three main elements: defence, energy and resilience. In all these areas, Ukraine has important experience that is highly transferable to Norway. At the same time, we can contribute expertise that is useful to Ukraine, says Støre, who is visiting the Ukrainian capital on Sunday.
Norway and Ukraine are already engaged in close defence cooperation, and Ukrainian drones are already being produced in Norway.
Document is aware of where the production is taking place. If Document knows, it is likely that the Russians also know, or will find out. What rules apply under international law if such a facility is subjected to sabotage?
There has been no discussion of Norway, Denmark and Sweden being drawn into the war. Nor have the authorities provided any information, but here NTB lets the cat out of the bag.
Støre presents the cooperation as a win-win situation, with no mention of any downside.
We are contributing to Ukrainian industry while at the same time transforming our own. We will gain a great deal of valuable insight from Ukrainian experts, Støre tells NTB.
Ukraine has much to teach Norway about being prepared for unforeseen events, the prime minister says.
– We want to be a prepared nation: Whether it is the worst-case scenario, being attacked, or other situations such as extreme weather or the collapse of data systems or electricity supplies.
Zelensky describes plans for cooperation in which Norway will help Ukraine produce thousands of drones.
– High-quality drones made with our technology and Norway’s, he tells NTB.
He, too, emphasises all the lessons Ukraine has learned during the war, which they will share with Norway.
Total preparedness
The last time Støre visited Kyiv, in February, the countries agreed on a strategic partnership. They continued working on this when Zelensky visited Oslo in April, and now the final declaration has been signed in Kyiv.
– We will now cooperate even more closely and on a more long-term basis. The aim is to strengthen both Ukraine’s and Norway’s defence capabilities and resilience, says Støre.
He points out that, through four years of fighting in defence of the country, Ukraine has rapidly developed military expertise and defence technology, and that the Ukrainians are sharing the lessons they have learned in the war.
– We are, of course, involved in training Ukrainian soldiers, both in Norway and in Poland, together with the Nordic and Baltic countries. And it is a two-way process, says Støre, pointing out that knowledge is exchanged in both directions.
– World-leadingIn some areas, the Ukrainian defence industry has become world-leading, the prime minister says.
– This is also about industrial cooperation. We are now working on preparedness in Norway, on strengthening civil preparedness; this is the Year of Total Preparedness. Here, too, there are lessons Ukraine is learning about having a population prepared for emergencies and finding solutions when faced with an extreme situation, says Støre.
He says that, among other things, it is about keeping things running.
– Society must function in an extreme situation. There are also many lessons to be learned from Ukraine in that regard. You see it when you come to Kyiv. People go to work, they stand at the railway station and wait. They adapt, and they have demonstrated an ability, a kind of civil resilience, a sort of defiance, I would say, in the fact that they go to work, they go to their places of study. (NTB)
