Sweden sends military aid package worth US$1.6bn to Ukraine

Sweden has announced the transfer of its largest military aid package to Ukraine, worth almost US$1.6 billion.

Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson said that the package includes support for Ukraine's air defence, artillery, satellite communications, and maritime capabilities.

The government intends to authorise the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) to purchase defence equipment from the Swedish, Scandinavian and European defence companies for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, based on Ukraine's needs.

The selection of equipment will be based on FMV's ongoing analysis of the market's ability to produce the required equipment with short delivery times.

Jonson added that as part of this package, Sweden would purchase new equipment worth about US$912 million from the defence industry.

"Much of the international military support goes through multilateral initiatives, coalitions within the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, and purchases from Ukrainian defence industries for donations. Sweden will donate about US$465 million to these funds and initiatives," he said. 

The support package envisages strengthening cooperation with Denmark within the established model of support for the Ukrainian defence industry.

The support package also includes the delivery of equipment from the Swedish Armed Forces. In particular, the following equipment will be handed over to Ukraine:

• Medical vehicles;
• Training weapons for firing M86 armour-piercing projectiles;
• Machine guns of the M58 type;
• Small calibre ammunition;
• About 100 vehicles of various types for maintaining the airbase;
• Basic and skilled equipment to support the airbase activities;
• Medical equipment and vehicles;
• Individual equipment;
• Equipment and provisions.

As part of the support package, funds are allocated to identify and utilise technical innovations that require additional funding to complete and launch production.

The FMV is tasked with identifying, testing and financing solutions that are in demand in Ukraine but need to be refined for use in wartime. The work will be based on specific demand and a short timeframe.

Last week, the Swedish government instructed the Swedish Armed Forces to make payments to coalitions of forces and assets in the areas of demining and unmanned aerial vehicles under the Ramstein format.

On 13 March, Sweden announced that it would purchase Archer self-propelled artillery systems and Arthur counter-battery radars for Ukraine as part of the 18th military support package.