ISTANBUL

Defense ministers from the Nordic and Baltic countries, along with Iceland’s foreign minister, announced on Thursday a $500 million joint contribution to Ukraine’s military needs.

Following a meeting in Helsinki, the ministers of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden, together with Iceland’s foreign minister, issued a joint statement emphasizing that Ukraine’s security is “fundamental to European security.”

“We are united in pursuing a sustainable and just peace, in full respect of Ukraine’s sovereignty and the legitimate aspirations of its people,” the ministers said.

The countries are committed to providing long-term, predictable, and coordinated military support, including capability development, defense-industrial cooperation, and strengthening Ukraine’s ability to deter future Russian aggression.

As part of this effort, the group announced a $500 million contribution to the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, a mechanism that enables the purchase of critical US-made defense equipment for Ukraine.

The ministers said the package will “directly contribute to Ukraine’s resilience and defence against Russian aggression,” adding that the initiative is one of many ways the Nordic and Baltic nations continue to support Kyiv.

Condemning Russia’s full-scale invasion, the statement said Moscow’s war “is a long-term threat to European security, the transatlantic community and the rules-based international order.”

“We will not allow it to succeed. Ukraine’s security is directly connected to ours,” the ministers said.