PARIS — Sweden announced additional military aid for Ukraine to the tune of 16 billion Swedish kronor ($1.6 billion), in response to a Ukrainian request for capabilities in air defense, artillery, satellite communications and the maritime domain.
The new military aid package, Sweden’s biggest yet, brings support for Ukraine’s defense to 29.5 billion kronor this year, the government said on Monday. The Nordic country said it has provided 80 billion kronor of military aid to Ukraine since 2022.
“We are stepping up the support and we are increasing it in strength and scope, and there are strong reasons to do this in light of the very serious situation in Ukraine,” Minister for Defence Pål Jonson said at a press briefing in Stockholm on Monday. “Russia has the initiative in the war, and we need to support Ukraine to break that trend right now.”
The Swedish government has proposed to provide 40 billion kronor in aid in Ukraine in 2025, partially by moving funds earmarked for 2026 to this year.
“Today’s message again is that more people have to do more,” Jonson said. “Now it is a time for all European countries to really increase support for Ukraine.”
The Swedish Defence Material Administration will use about 9.2 billion kronor of the new aid to buy equipment for donation to Ukraine, taking into account industry’s ability to produce the requested material with short delivery times. Sweden said Ukraine needs ammunition, air defense systems, marine equipment, satellite communication systems, infantry equipment and armored vehicles.
Conditions are in place for the Swedish defense industry to quickly deliver relevant equipment for Ukraine’s defense, Jonson said. The support package will include artillery systems, air-defense systems and small combat vessels, according to the minister.
Sweden will provide around 500 million kronor of aid from its own stocks, including machine guns and small-caliber munitions. The government will channel more than 5 billion kronor of aid via various funds and capability coalitions buying equipment for Ukraine, as well as increased collaboration to provide support for Ukraine’s defense industry through the so-called Danish model.
Around 70% of the new aid can be delivered in 2025, according to a presentation by Jonson.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands said it will provide €500 million ($541 million) in aid to finance a drone project in Ukraine, in a separate statement on Monday. The drone financing is part of €2 billion in accelerated support planned for 2025, which also includes air defense, munition and maritime equipment, the Dutch government said.
Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.
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