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OSLO: Norway on Wednesday ruled out being the sole guarantor of a potential EU loan to Ukraine using frozen Russian assets, but may contribute depending on the solution Brussels chooses.
The European Commission is considering using part of Russia’s assets frozen after its invasion of Ukraine to provide Kyiv with a 140-billion-euro ($162-billion) interest-free loan to finance its budgetary and military support over the next two years.
But the plan has faced opposition from Belgium, home to the international deposit organization Euroclear which holds the bulk of the frozen assets, amid fears of Russian repercussions.
Arguing that Norway, Western Europe’s biggest oil and gas producer, made an extra 109 billion euros from soaring gas prices after Russia’s invasion, two Norwegian economists have suggested their country should step in as a guarantor for the loan even though it is not an EU member.
The idea has been welcomed by some Norwegian and foreign politicians, diplomats and commentators.
“It would be wrong to rule out anything before we’ve even seen the proposal, but some ideas have circulated under which Norway would guarantee the entire amount... That is out of the question,” Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg said. “But whether we could contribute, in one way or another, remains to be seen depending on what the EU proposes,” he told Norwegian broadcaster NRK from Brussels where he was due to meet his European counterparts.
Stoltenberg noted that discussions were still underway within the European Union.
Norway, a NATO member that shares a border with Russia in the Arctic, is not a member of the EU but is closely aligned with Brussels on issues relating to the war in Ukraine.