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MILITARY

Sweden pledges another $443 million in military aid to Ukraine

Sweden said there are no firm plans at the moment to send fighter jets to Ukraine, as it donated another $443 million including assault crafts and air defence systems.

Published: 10 September 2024 08:29 CEST
Sweden pledges another $443 million in military aid to Ukraine
Sweden's Defence Minister Pål Jonson. Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/TT

The 4.6-billion-kronor package is the Nordic country’s 17th aid package to Ukraine, bringing the total value of Sweden’s military aid pledged to Ukraine since the 2022 Russian invasion to 48.1 billion kronor.

The latest package would include six CB90 (Combat Boat 90) naval assault crafts and portable anti-air systems as well as ammunition for previously donated weaponry, including for the infantry fighting vehicle CV90.

In addition, the package included additional AT4 recoilless anti-tank launchers.

Half of the package was dedicated to the procurement of parts for the construction of Sweden’s Gripen fighter jet, though the government stressed that “at the moment” there were no plans for the transfer of Swedish fighter jets to Ukraine.

But the country said it wanted to be prepared for when the time comes.

“We have been advised by the fighter jet coalition that right now it prefers to focus on the introduction of the F-16 into Ukraine,” Defence Minister Pål Jonson told AFP.

Previously, Sweden has sent its Archer mobile artillery system, 50 of its CV90 armoured combat vehicles as well as “around 10” Leopard 2 tanks and anti-air missile systems.

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MILITARY

Sweden set to spend 138 billion kronor on defence in 2025

Sweden is boosting its defence budget by 13 billion kronor for next year, going above and beyond Nato spending minimums.

Published: 18 September 2024 08:48 CEST
Sweden set to spend 138 billion kronor on defence in 2025

The increase will mean that Sweden’s defence budget in 2025 would amount 138 billion kronor, or 2.4 percent of GDP, the government said, above the 2 percent of GDP minimum that Nato expects its members to allot to defence.

For 2024, defence spending was expected to stand at 2.2 percent of GDP, according to government estimates.

The Nordic country dropped two centuries of military non-alignment and applied for membership in the US-led alliance in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – becoming the 32nd member in March of this year.

“The security situation has continued to deteriorate,” Defence Minister Pål Jonson told a press conference.

Further investments were also announced going up to 2030, which were expected to bring the total military budget to the equivalent of 2.6 percent of GDP by 2028.

In April, a Swedish parliamentary commission recommended measures to strengthen the country’s armed forces and bring defence spending to 2.6 percent of GDP.

The Swedish Defence Commission said the Scandinavian country needed to respond to new conditions, citing heightened tensions in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Sweden’s recent integration into the Nato military alliance.

It recommended additional army brigades and navy personnel, a rise in the number of conscripts trained up every year and the creation of Sweden’s first ever rocket artillery unit.

In a statement, the government said the 2025 defence budget aimed to “increase the Swedish Armed Forces’ operational capacity by investing in personnel, materiel and infrastructure”.

It said the target for 2025, was for “8,000 conscripts to complete basic training”.

Sweden drastically slashed its defence spending after the end of the Cold War but reversed course following Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.

In March 2022, after Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, Stockholm announced it would increase spending again, aiming to dedicate two percent of GDP to defence “as soon as possible”.

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