Swedish government did not refuse to send Gripen along with F-16 fighter jets from other allies, but Ukraine said that having two aircraft systems at the same time "was too much," Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom.
A Rostov-on-Don court sentenced five citizens from the U.K., Sweden, and Croatia in absentia to prison terms ranging from 3.5 to 23 years on June 26 for fighting alongside Ukraine amid Russia's full-scale war, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office claimed.
The report did not specify the type of infantry fighting vehicle, but Ukraine and Sweden last year signed an agreement to start jointly producing the CV90, considered one of the best of its type in the world.
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Stockholm earlier in the day for the third Nordic-Ukrainian summit where he met Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
"Our top priorities are to ensure more air defense systems for Ukraine, joint defense industry projects, and weapons for our warriors, as well as global efforts to force Russia to make peace," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X.
Key developments on May 29: * Sweden announces $1.3 billion in military aid for Ukraine in largest package ever * Finland, Canada, Poland don't prohibit Ukraine from striking targets in Russia with their weapons * Pressed on strikes inside Russia, Blinken says US stance will 'adapt and adjust as necessary' * 19 killed,
The announcement came a day after Sweden said it was providing Ukraine with a new package of energy aid worth 615 million Swedish krona ($58.2 million).
"We have been urged by the other countries in the coalition to wait with the Gripen system," Defense Minister Pal Jonson told TT in Brussels, adding: "This has to do with the fact that the focus is now on introducing the F-16 system."
The package consists of two parts: 500 million Swedish krona (around $45 million) under the Energy Community's Ukraine Energy Support Fund and another 150 million Swedish krona (around $15 million) through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
"Ukraine has the right to defend itself through military actions aimed at the enemy's territory as long as the military actions comply with the laws of war," Jonson said.
Key updates on May 22: * UK defense secretary: Intelligence has evidence of Chinese lethal aid to Russia, world needs to 'wake up' * Sweden plans to allocate $7 billion in military aid to Ukraine between 2024-2026 * Source: SBU has a new weapon – Grad-equipped Sea Baby drones * Estonian PM Kallas: Russia is
"Sweden will increase the support, as the framework amounts to 75 billion Swedish krona in military support for the years 2024–2026, which is 25 billion Swedish krona ($2.3 billion) per year," according to the statement.
It will take as long as two years for Sweden to reach the desired capacity to provide Ukraine with more ammunition and strengthen the Swedish Armed Forces, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said in an interview with Bloomberg published on May 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin may be seeking dominance over the Baltic Sea and has his sights on the island of Gotland, Micael Byden, Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, said in an interview with RND published on May 21.
In March 2024, Sweden officially joined NATO after a lengthy application process triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was immediately vocal in its calls for other alliance members to do more.
Swedish Navy chief Ewa Skoog Haslum said some of the ships from the shadow fleet have been found to possess communications and signals equipment not usually associated with cargo vessels, leading to concerns they could be used in "hybrid operations."
Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson does not rule out sending Ukraine Patriot air defense systems, the Guardian reported on April 22.
The president said Ukraine is moving towards "an important agreement with the U.S.," adding that the agreement could happen after Congress approves the $61 aid bill for Ukraine that awaits an upcoming vote on April 20.
The Nordic and Baltic countries support an increased role for NATO in aiding Ukraine’s fight against Russia, as well as Kyiv’s bid to join the European Union, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told reporters on April 10, according to Reuters.
The Swedish Air Force, together with German fighter jets, intercepted a Russian Il-20 reconnaissance aircraft near the Swedish coast, the Swedish military announced on April 9.
In March 2024, Sweden became NATO’s 32nd member state after a lengthy application process triggered by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Joining the alliance comes at arguably the most turbulent time in European security since the end of the Cold War, with Russia scaling up its military industrial
"The deliberations are ongoing, and they take place within the fighter jet coalition," Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson said in an interview with the Kyiv Independent in Stockholm on March 28.
NATO is not doing enough for Ukraine and some countries in the alliance don’t “understand that the conflict is here and that we need to deal with it,” Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told Euractiv on March 27.
Hydrocycles are in demand in Ukraine and can be sent "immediately," Swedish Government Offices's report reads.
Sweden joined the Czech-led initiative to supply Ukraine with hundreds of thousands of artillery shells, pledging 30 million euros ($32.6 million) to the cause, the Swedish embassy in Czechia announced on March 14.
Stoltenberg's comments came during Sweden's flag-raising ceremony at NATO headquarters which marked the final step of its accession into the alliance.
Sweden's accession to the alliance was officially completed when Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed the so-called "instruments of accession" to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington.
Sweden's flag will be raised at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on March 11 around noon, ceremoniously marking the country's accession to the alliance, the Swedish TV4 channel reported on March 6.
The Nordic Response 24 NATO exercises begin in northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway on March 4, for the first time with the participation of Finland as a NATO member, the Finnish public broadcaster YLE reported.
Hungarian parliament speaker Sandor Lezsak has signed off on Sweden's accession to NATO after Hungary's legislature ratified it earlier this week, Reuters reported on March 2, citing the parliament's voting records.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, as well as leaders of Germany, the U.K., and other European NATO member states, have reportedly said they are not considering deploying their troops to Ukraine after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested the possibility of Western military presence in the country.
Hungary's parliament voted to ratify Sweden's application to join NATO on Feb. 26, finalizing the country's membership after almost two years of delays.
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