Former ministers urge Faroes to increase aid to Ukraine

The Faroe Islands have provided much less support to Ukraine than their Nordic neighbours, and the political system should give more, former foreign affairs ministers Sirið Stenberg and Jenis av Rana told KVF’s Breddin programme.

The islands have given about 25 million kroner since Russia’s invasion began, equivalent to 0.09 per cent of GDP. Denmark’s support amounts to 3.25 per cent of GDP. If the Faroe Islands matched Denmark’s level, they would have provided 910 million kroner, according to figures based on the Ukraine Support Tracker, Eurostat and Statistics Faroe Islands.

Other Nordic countries have also contributed a larger share of GDP: Norway 2.19 per cent, Sweden 1.66 per cent, Finland 1.37 per cent and Iceland 0.47 per cent. The figures include all forms of support, from emergency aid to military equipment.

The 2027 draft budget allocates 13.2 million kroner for emergency aid and development cooperation, the same amount as this year. A separate four million kroner had been allocated to a project to build boats for Ukraine, but there is no funding for the project in the 2027 proposal.

The project has been changed from building two boats to building one fully equipped boat, which is expected to be delivered in 2027. As a result, the allocation for emergency aid and development cooperation is effectively cut by four million kroner.

Stenberg, of Tjóðveldi, and av Rana, of Miðflokkurin, are both former foreign affairs ministers.