The Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson arrived in Ukraine on February 15, 2023, and met with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ulf Kristersson assured that Sweden would provide Ukraine with as much support as needed in both economic and defense aspects.
Source: The Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
“In the first half of this year, Sweden holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, so a significant part of our talks today was devoted to pan-European issues. Together with the Swedish Presidency, we must ensure everything necessary to start negotiations on Ukraine’s membership in the European Union this year. We really strive for this, and there will be no obstacles to this. I am grateful to Sweden for its leadership and for realizing that true European strength is strength together with Ukraine,” Ukraine’s President stressed during a press conference following the talks with Ulf Kristersson in Kyiv.
The two leaders also discussed defense sector.
“Even before the beginning of this invasion, Sweden was among the largest donors of bilateral support to Ukraine. This year, our support increased significantly – up to 1.2 billion euros. We also provide very significant support through the European Union and the total support now reaches 67 billion euros,” Ulf Kristersson said.
The Prime Minister of Sweden also expressed his belief that the latest package of defense assistance, which included 51 infantry fighting vehicles and the Archer artillery system, will significantly affect Ukraine’s combat power. In addition, Sweden advocates the creation of an international coalition that would make decisions regarding the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine.
The President of Ukraine stressed that the best way to achieve peace and security in Europe is to support Ukraine’s defense.
“I am thankful for the defense support packages provided by Sweden. They are very tangible. I am grateful to Prime Minister Kristersson that only recently Ukraine has been allocated about $1 billion in defense assistance. We highly appreciate this decision. Our warriors are especially looking forward to the recently approved package – brilliant Swedish Archers, one of the best artillery systems in the world,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded.
See also: Sweden will provide Ukraine with Archer self-propelled guns, and 50 CV90 infantry fighting vehicles
