The EU and Norway pledged to stand by Ukraine when jointly condemning Russia’s “unprovoked and unjustified invasion” at their latest annual Structured Dialogue on Security and Defence, which was held in Oslo on 30 March. Both vowed to continue their efforts for as long as it takes to support Kiev and to work together to secure ammunition for Ukraine.

Norway, a leading contributor of financial and military support to Ukraine, partners with the EU through the European Peace Facility (EPF), as part of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base and as a party to the Project Agreement for joint procurement of ammunition with the European Defence Agency (EDA).

At the Oslo meeting, the parties cited the results achieved by the EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) as a further example of EU-Norway cooperation. Norway supports EUMAM Ukraine both through the EPF and with instructors. The two sides concurred that Norway should step up its participation in EU missions, pointing out how reinforced cooperation on security and defence between Norway and the EU helps to bolster Europe’s resilience.

Both sides committed to continue their close partnership in line with the EU`s “Strategic Compass for Security and Defence” of March 2022. Norway welcomed the newly established Schuman Security and Defence Partnership Forum. It was also agreed to move ahead as quickly as possible within the Structured Dialogue format to address issues of Security and Defence in Space by way of follow-up to the first-EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence.

Overall, the dialogue sessions included exchanges on EU-led initiatives related to security and defence, regional security issues in the Sahel, South Caucasus and Moldova, maritime security and EU-NATO cooperation, including the resilience of critical infrastructure.

In conjunction with the dialogue proceedings, a symposium on the EU-Norway partnership on security and defence was organised by the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs (NUPI) and the European Union’s Institute for Security Studies (EUISS). This facilitated a forward-looking exchange with key Norwegian stakeholders on the future of EU-Norway security and defence cooperation.