Address by

General Eirik KRISTOFFERSEN Chief of Defence of Norway

to the Kyiv Security Forum

8 May 2025

Dear all participants in the Kyiv Security Forum!

Today is an important day in Norway. The 8th of May is our Liberation Day. In 1945, we celebrated liberation on the 8th of May after five years of occupation. For 80 years, we have celebrated the 8th of May as our Liberation Day from occupation, and in 2011 we also included our veterans and started to call the 8th of May Liberation and Veterans Day.

On this day, we honour the fighters from World War II and the freedom that Norway got after five years of occupation, but we also honour all the veterans who have been deployed on behalf of Norway to operations ever since 1945.

On this 8th of May, it's been 80 years since Norway was liberated. We have been living in freedom, in our democracy, for 80 years. For Ukraine, the story is different.

Ukraine has been occupied since 2014, and after the full-scale invasion from Russia in February 2022, Ukraine has been fighting for its liberation, and for its freedom, and for its democracy.

Norway will continue to support Ukraine, both in the short term in the current fight, but also in the medium term to regain territory, and in the long term to support the rehabilitation and the build-up of a new Ukraine Defence Force. We will also support the reconstruction of Ukraine after fighting is stopped.

I hope this day and this Security Forum will give new perspectives, but also hope and solutions for free and prosperous Ukraine once the Russian aggression is stopped.

As we celebrate 80 years of liberation in Norway, I hope that one day we can also celebrate the liberation of Ukraine.

I wish you all the best for the Security Forum! Slava Ukraini!