Sweden to allocate about $4.5 bln to support Ukraine's military-industrial complex until 2026

Sweden will allocate 50bn kronor (over $4.5bn) to support Ukraine 's military-industrial complex over two years. This was announced by the kingdom's Defense Minister Paul Johnson on 22 November at a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov, which was broadcast on the Swedish government's YouTube channel.

Funding for Ukraine's production of long-range missiles and drones is planned to be allocated in two tranches of 25 billion kroner each in 2025 and 2026. Details of the package will be announced in January.

Jonsson emphasized that support for Kiev is Stockholm's top security priority.

Earlier, on November 12, Swedish MP Olle Torell raised the issue of controlling the use of weapons supplied to Ukraine. In an address to Johnson, he pointed to the importance of ensuring that financial resources are provided to Kiev in a correct and transparent manner.

Prior to that, on November 5, Swedish Civil Defense Minister Karl-Oskar Bolin announced the transfer of two coast guard ships and 40,000 gas masks to Ukraine. At the same time, the agency signed an agreement with the Ukrainian Interior Ministry on deepening cooperation between the two countries.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Kiev against the background of Russia's special operation to protect Donbas, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.