World · Nordic-Baltic pledgeKyiv Flag Day Pledge: $9.2B From Norway and 12.5B Euro Plan Before Independence DayAired August 24, 2026 at 10:04 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:26 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Ukraine's 1991 flag of independence rose0:03again over Kyiv's Motherland Monument.0:05Nordic and Baltic leaders stood beside0:07President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as it went0:08up, turning National Flag Day into a0:1012.5 billion euro security pledge for0:12next year, with Norway adding another0:149.2 billion dollars for 2027.0:17None of it moves until parliaments vote0:19and the money is delivered. Will the0:20declarations signed in Kyiv this weekend0:22become deliverable guarantees before the0:24next funding gap hits? The arrival0:27landed one day before the 24 August0:29holiday that marks the 1991 declaration0:31of independence, creating a two-day0:33working surge. The Nordic Baltic eight0:35reached Kyiv railway station early0:37Sunday morning on the 23rd.0:39>> [music]0:39>> Distinct from the broader Western and EU0:41coalition of the willing scheduled to0:43meet on the 24th, [music]0:44with both tracks built around0:45commemorations and bilateral meetings0:47with President Zelenskyy. The most0:49visible moment came at the Motherland0:51Monument.0:52>> [music]0:52>> Zelenskyy led the National Flag Day0:54raising where the historic 1991 flag of0:56independence was raised, the same0:58[music] flag carried into the Verkhovna1:00Rada on 24th of August 1991 in the first1:02moments after independence.1:03[clears throat]1:04He called it Ukraine's true [music]1:05amulet and said both the 2014 and 20221:08invasions were driven by Moscow's drive1:10to strip Ukraine of its symbols,1:12freedom, and independence. Leaders from1:14Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia,1:16Lithuania, and Norway stood with him,1:19with the broader eight also including1:20Iceland and Sweden, alongside top1:22Ukrainian officials including1:24parliamentary speaker Stefanchuk1:26>> [music]1:26>> and defense and security figures. The1:28Nordic Baltic track was substantive as1:30well as symbolic. Finland's President1:33Alexander Stubb held a round table on1:35defense industry cooperation, while1:37Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas1:39co-chaired the NB8 summit. Verified1:41participants named at the ceremony were1:43Denmark, Estonia, Finland, [music]1:45Latvia, Lithuania, and Norway, with1:47Sweden and Iceland completing the eight.1:49The exact start time and the physical1:51handling of the 1991 [music] flag during1:53the raising were not detailed in the1:54verified reporting. The same day,1:56Zelenskyy and the Nordic-Baltic 8,1:58[music]1:59Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland,2:01Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden,2:03signed a joint declaration in Kyiv.2:05>> [music]2:05>> It reaffirms continuous support and2:07security guarantees, commits to2:09Ukraine's EU and NATO accession,2:11>> [music]2:11>> condemns Russia's war of aggression, and2:13calls for a ceasefire, and specifies2:15about 12.5 billion euros in military2:17contribution for 2026 to be delivered2:20through joint and bilateral2:21arrangements, including the Pearl2:22mechanism. Norway's share was detailed2:25separately in Kyiv. [music]2:26Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told2:28Zelensky Norway will pledge an2:30additional 85 billion Norwegian kroner,2:32about 9.2 billion dollars, rounded to 92:35billion in one record for [music] 20272:37under the Nansen Support Program. The2:39stated focus is military assistance,2:41including procurement from Ukraine's2:43domestic defense [music] industry. The2:44government will formally submit the2:46request to the Storting, so the pledge2:48remains pending parliamentary approval.2:50The Western [music] European dimension2:52is timed to Independence Day itself. The2:54coalition of the willing is set to meet2:56in Kyiv on 24th August, confirmed2:58[music] as co-chaired and attended by2:59French President Emmanuel Macron, German3:02Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime3:04Minister Andy Burnham, and European3:05Council President Antonio Costa, with an3:07EU official confirming Costa's3:09attendance on condition of anonymity.3:11Finland's [music] President Stubb is3:13also expected in the coalition3:14discussions, while some Nordic-Baltic3:16leaders are expected to join remotely.3:18No United States representative was3:20confirmed as a participant. The [music]3:22stated coalition agenda is continued3:24military support. Air defense, including3:27Patriot licenses and scalp missile3:29components with an MBDA agreement noted3:31for the United Kingdom, and longer-term3:33security arrangements. Funding3:35structures [music] dominate the3:36discussion, about 30 billion euros tied3:38to European Parliament legislation3:40needed to unlock it, and a promised3:42[music] 90 billion euros, about 1053:45billion dollars, loan to cover a 20263:47gap against a Ukrainian assessment of a3:4927 billion-dollar deficit in [music]3:52funding. The delivery mechanisms,3:54legislative timelines, and whether3:55pledges move from declaration to3:57disbursement [music]3:58are not yet fixed. Several caveats4:00remain in the record. Research is split4:02on verification for this [music] date.4:04One record returned 404 and 406 errors4:07and reported no verifiable records for4:09the pledges [music] or PRL, while other4:11verified records confirmed the ceremony,4:13the 12.5 billion euro plan and the4:15Norway pledge. So, both outcomes are4:17retained as a conflict. [music] There is4:19also a naming conflict on the British4:21Premiership. The coalition materials and4:23One Wire confirm Andy Burnham as Prime4:25Minister [music] for the 24 August4:27meeting, while a Kyiv Independent photo4:29caption from 13 July 2026 [music]4:31refers to then Prime Minister Keir4:33Starmer. Separately, claims carried in4:35the earlier digest that Zelensky warned4:37an election now would be too dangerous4:39and could split Ukraine, [music]4:40and that intensified Russian strikes4:42have pushed civilian deaths to the4:44highest since the early months of the4:45invasion amid an air defense interceptor4:48shortage, including 127 strike drones on4:51the 23rd of August,4:52>> [music]4:52>> and a drone hit on a Krasnodar logistics4:55hub on the 22nd of August, were not4:57corroborated in the verified concurrent4:59reporting [music] for this broadcast and5:00remain as digest attributed context with5:02uncertainty. No formal joint [music]5:04text from the 24 August coalition5:06meeting itself had been extracted at the5:08time of reporting. What is verified next5:10are the Independence [music] Day5:11commemorations on 24th August and the5:13coalition session in Kyiv meant to5:15detail the guarantees with European5:18Parliament [music] action for the 305:19billion euros and Storting action for5:21the 85 billion kroner as the legislative5:23[music] gates that decide whether the5:2512.5 billion euros for 2026 and [music]5:28the 9.2 billion dollars for 2027 leave5:31paper and become air defense procurement5:33and funding on the ground.5:35Like and follow for more stories that5:36matter.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗