Warning Russia has ‘initiative’ in Ukraine, Sweden announces record $1.6B defense aid package
“It is Russia that has the initiative in the war,” Swedish defense minister Pål Jonson stated, emphasizing Sweden’s urgent need to support Ukraine to ‘break that trend right now.”
Rustem Umerov, (C-L) Minister of Defense of Ukraine, greets Pål Jonson (C-R), Minister of Defense of Sweden before the start of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on June 13, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)
STOCKHOLM — Sweden today unveiled its 19th, and largest ever, military aid package to date for Ukraine, totaling 16 billion Swedish kronor ($1.6 billion).
The Swedish government announced on Monday that the bulk of this package will fund new orders from Swedish and European defense industries, aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s military capabilities amid the ongoing war.
Defense Minister Pål Jonson painted a grim picture of the situation in Ukraine. He warned that Russia is conducting “offensive operations along, essentially, the entire front line” and is working to secure a strategic advantage at a time the Trump administration is in talks with Moscow on a ceasefire agreement that many in Europe worry will undercut Ukraine’s future.
“It is Russia that has the initiative in the war,” Jonson stated, emphasizing Sweden’s urgent need to support Ukraine to ‘break that trend right now.”
Jonson underscored Sweden’s strong foreign policy and security interests in ensuring Ukraine receives “as much support as possible, as quickly as possible.” He repeatedly called on other allies to step up, declaring, “This is not just a responsibility on Sweden’s shoulders.”
The new aid package, which comes just two months after a previous pledge of $1.2 billion, includes 9.2 billion SEK ($920 million) for the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) to procure new defense equipment from Swedish and European industries for donation to Ukraine.
An additional 5 billion SEK ($500 million) will primarily support Ukraine’s domestic defense industry, while 500 million SEK ($50 million) worth of equipment from the Swedish Armed Forces’ stockpiles will also be donated.
Ukraine has expressed urgent needs for ammunition, air defense systems, naval capabilities, satellite communications, drones, and infantry equipment. Specific details of the equipment will be disclosed after procurement is finalized.
To finance this package, Sweden is reallocating funds originally earmarked for Ukraine support in 2026. The package also includes a naval component.
With today’s package, Sweden’s total support to Ukraine reaches 77,9 billion SEK ($7,8 billion), including 29.5 billion SEK in 2025 alone, as of March 31, according to a fact slide from the government. Jonson said that 70 percent of Monday’s package will arrive in Ukraine this year, with the remainder scheduled for 2026.
Support for arming Ukraine cuts across the four political parties making up the Swedish government: The Moderate Party, the Liberal Party, the Christian Democrats and the Centre Party.
Ukraine will gain new capabilities “both above and below the sea surface,” the coalition party Sweden Democrats’ Matheus Enholm, deputy chair of the parliamentary defense committee, said. This includes unmanned mine-clearing vessels, and radar systems for CB90 combat boats.
Mikael Oscarsson, defense policy spokesperson for the Christian Democrats in government, echoed concerns about the deteriorating security landscape, stating, “Sweden and Europe must be prepared for a (new) regional war within a couple of years.”
He cited intelligence from Sweden’s Military Intelligence and Security Service (MUST) and its Danish counterparts, and repeated that Sweden faces its toughest security situation “since the Second World War.”
The package also provides ground support vehicles to keep Ukrainian air bases operational for F-16 fighter jets. “It is important that the use of F-16 planes can function effectively,” Oscarsson said, highlighting that additional deliveries of spare parts for previously donated systems are key “so they don’t end up idle in the middle of an ongoing war.”
Liberal Party defense spokesperson Gulan Avci, also in government, highlighted Ukraine’s need for long-range weapons, stating that Sweden will prioritize production of systems like ground-target missiles and long-range drones. “It is precisely for that purpose, to reach Russian military targets in depth,” she said, addressing requests from Ukrainian authorities.
