Sweden pledges $1.6 billion in new Ukraine aid, including air defense

PARIS — Sweden announced additional military aid for Ukraine to the tune of 16 billion Swedish kronor ($1.6 billion), in response to a Ukrainian request for capabilities in air defense, artillery, satellite communications and the maritime domain.

The new military aid package, Sweden’s biggest yet, brings support for Ukraine’s defense to 29.5 billion kronor this year, the government said on Monday. The Nordic country said it has provided 80 billion kronor of military aid to Ukraine since 2022.

“We are stepping up the support and we are increasing it in strength and scope, and there are strong reasons to do this in light of the very serious situation in Ukraine,” Minister for Defence Pål Jonson said at a press briefing in Stockholm on Monday. “Russia has the initiative in the war, and we need to support Ukraine to break that trend right now.”

The Swedish government has proposed to provide 40 billion kronor in aid in Ukraine in 2025, partially by moving funds earmarked for 2026 to this year.

“Today’s message again is that more people have to do more,” Jonson said. “Now it is a time for all European countries to really increase support for Ukraine.”

The Swedish Defence Material Administration will use about 9.2 billion kronor of the new aid to buy equipment for donation to Ukraine, taking into account industry’s ability to produce the requested material with short delivery times. Sweden said Ukraine needs ammunition, air defense systems, marine equipment, satellite communication systems, infantry equipment and armored vehicles.

Conditions are in place for the Swedish defense industry to quickly deliver relevant equipment for Ukraine’s defense, Jonson said. The support package will include artillery systems, air-defense systems and small combat vessels, according to the minister.

Sweden will provide around 500 million kronor of aid from its own stocks, including machine guns and small-caliber munitions. The government will channel more than 5 billion kronor of aid via various funds and capability coalitions buying equipment for Ukraine, as well as increased collaboration to provide support for Ukraine’s defense industry through the so-called Danish model .

Around 70% of the new aid can be delivered in 2025, according to a presentation by Jonson.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands said it will provide €500 million ($541 million) in aid to finance a drone project in Ukraine, in a separate statement on Monday. The drone financing is part of €2 billion in accelerated support planned for 2025, which also includes air defense, munition and maritime equipment, the Dutch government said.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——瑞典宣布向乌克兰追加160亿瑞典克朗（16亿美元）的军事援助，以响应乌克兰提出的在防空、火炮、卫星通信和海上领域提升能力的请求。

瑞典政府周一表示，这项新的军事援助计划是迄今为止规模最大的一次，将使瑞典今年对乌克兰国防的支持总额达到295亿瑞典克朗。这个北欧国家称，自2022年以来，瑞典已向乌克兰提供了800亿瑞典克朗的军事援助。

“我们正在加大支持力度，扩大支持范围，鉴于乌克兰局势的严峻性，我们有充分的理由这样做，”国防部长帕尔·约翰逊周一在斯德哥尔摩举行的新闻发布会上表示。“俄罗斯在战争中占据主动，我们现在需要支持乌克兰扭转这一趋势。”

瑞典政府提议在 2025 年向乌克兰提供 400 亿瑞典克朗的援助，部分资金将原定于 2026 年的资金提前到今年使用。

“今天再次传达的信息是，更多的人需要采取更多行动，”约翰逊说。“现在是所有欧洲国家真正加大对乌克兰支持力度的时候了。”

瑞典国防物资管理局将利用这笔新援助资金中的约92亿瑞典克朗，购买装备捐赠给乌克兰。此举将考虑乌克兰工业界能否在短时间内生产所需物资。瑞典方面表示，乌克兰需要弹药、防空系统、海上装备、卫星通信系统、步兵装备和装甲车辆。

约翰逊表示，瑞典国防工业已具备迅速向乌克兰交付相关国防装备的条件。据这位部长透露，援助方案将包括火炮系统、防空系统和小型作战舰艇。

瑞典将从其库存中提供约5亿克朗的援助，其中包括机枪和小口径弹药。瑞典政府将通过各种基金和能力联盟向乌克兰提供超过50亿克朗的援助，用于购买装备，并加强合作，通过所谓的“丹麦模式”支持乌克兰的国防工业。

约翰逊在一份报告中指出，大约 70% 的新援助可以在 2025 年到位。

与此同时，荷兰周一在一份单独声明中表示，将提供5亿欧元（约合5.41亿美元）的援助，用于资助乌克兰的一个无人机项目。荷兰政府称，这笔无人机项目资金是其计划于2025年提供的20亿欧元加速援助计划的一部分，该计划还包括防空、弹药和海上装备等项目。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。