The development of greater long-range strike capability for Ukraine came another step forward with a meeting of Ukrainians and Swedes in Kyiv.
The meeting was on Thursday between teams led by, Serhiy Boev, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defense for European Integration, and Johan Axelsson, Director of Sweden’s Technical Systems Testing and Evaluation Department FMV – and it was to finalize details of a proposed collaboration on defense projects.
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This followed on from a November meeting between the Swedish Minister of Defense, Pål Jonson, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, at Stockholm’s Karlberg Palace. Here it was agreed that, subject to parliamentary approval, Sweden would support Ukraine in the mass production of long-range missiles and drones.
At the Thursday meeting Axelsson said that Sweden would be shortly announcing a new military aid package for Ukraine, its 18th, which he said would be Stockholm’s largest since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
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He said this would include significant funding for Ukraine’s defense industry to provide strategically vital weapons and equipment in line with Kyiv’s stated priorities, based on the so-called “Danish model” – whereby Sweden would purchase weapons produced by Ukrainian manufacturers on behalf of Ukraine’s armed forces.
The Swedish government announced in May last year it would provide additional military support to Ukraine worth 75 billion Krona ($7 billion) over the next three years, which would include donations of Swedish defense equipment, both new builds and from stock, as well as financial support to allow Kyiv to procure weapons and equipment on its own behalf.
Boev said that the ability to produce long-range weapons, air defense systems, and artillery munitions in Ukrainian facilities are key priorities. He said with Swedish and other allies’ assistance the strengthening of domestic production capability and capacity would speed up the supply of the essential materiel and reduce the current reliance on international support.
The meeting also agreed on methodologies and contractual issues relating to the maintenance and repair of equipment already provided by Sweden, in particular the Archer 155mm artillery system, CV-90 infantry fighting vehicles, and the sustainment of command-and-control battlefield communications being used by Ukraine’s defense forces.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on his official website that he had a meeting with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Davos on Wednesday, during which he thanked Sweden for the continuing support it had provided Ukraine. He also referred to the promised new military aid package and said Swedish support had amounted to date to more than $5.6 billion since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.
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