Crown Prince of Norway pays his first visit to Ukraine since 2008

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway arrived on an official visit to Ukraine. It was the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion and the first time since 2008. His arrival was an important symbolic event for both bilateral relations and support for Ukraine in the war.

It was reported by the Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway.

The Crown Prince of Norway and the Minister of Energy visited Ukraine

The Crown Prince was accompanied by the Minister of Energy of Norway, Terje Aasland. They arrived in Kyiv by overnight train from Poland, where they were met by the Ambassador of Norway to Ukraine, Helene Sand Andresen, and Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Oleksandr Mishchenko.

As part of his visit, Haakon has already visited the Ukrainian hospital where wounded soldiers are undergoing rehabilitation, as well as the memorial to the fallen defenders in the village of Moshchun, which has become one of the symbols of the heroic resistance to Russian troops at the beginning of the invasion.

"We are very impressed by their resilience and ability to withstand," Crown Prince Haakon said about the Ukrainians.

In addition, during his stay in Ukraine, Crown Prince Haakon will meet with representatives of the Ukrainian authorities and Norwegian partners. The programme includes visits to projects supported by the Norwegian Nansen Programme.

As a reminder, during the meeting with the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, which took place in April, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, expressed hope that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin would stop attacks on Ukraine.

Earlier, in the same month, Norway announced new aid for Ukraine. The country is providing more than 4 billion Norwegian kroner (USD 364M) for the purchase of artillery ammunition through the Czech Republic's initiative, as well as a billion (USD 91M) through the European Peace Fund.