All parties in Swedish parliament and 90% of the population support aid to Ukraine – Swedish defense minister
Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson stated this at the Berlin Security Conference on Tuesday, November 18, Ukrinform's correspondent reports.
The minister said that the fate of Ukraine is viewed as their own fate, and that supporting Ukraine is considered not only the right thing to do but also a smart investment in Sweden’s own security.
Jonson noted that supporting Ukraine is highly beneficial in several ways. First, Ukraine shares extensive information about how the platforms and systems transferred to it perform in real conditions. This is important for Western manufacturers, who want the most detailed data in order to develop the most effective platforms. Therefore, this is considered a return on investment.
He added that partners are also learning a great deal from Ukraine — doing things faster, more efficiently, and with higher quality than would normally take years or even decades.
At the same time, Jonson observed that recently the military burden of supporting Ukraine has been falling on an increasingly small number of countries.
He stressed that this trajectory must change.
He identified Germany as a leader in support and highlighted Sweden's role. Both countries participate in the Electronic Warfare Coalition (EW Coalition). Sweden has already sent military equipment worth EUR 9 billion to Ukraine, the minister said, adding that another EUR 7.5 billion are secured for the next two years. He recalled that Sweden has also committed to strengthening Ukraine's air defense, possibly by providing and exporting up to 150 Gripen fighter jets to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Jonson stated that ongoing support for Ukraine has strong backing in the Swedish parliament from all eight parties; 90% of the population either want support to remain at the current level or to be increased. He also said that Sweden is very open to the use of frozen Russian assets, believing that this is absolutely critical at a time when Ukraine faces severe financial strain. He noted that Ukraine has succeeded in expanding its own defense production and is now actually the largest supplier of military equipment to the front, which is also economically efficient.
He expressed confidence that channeling frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's benefit is entirely possible through legal mechanisms or through the use of loans.
As reported by Ukrinform, on November 6, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal and Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson signed a Letter of Intent on partnership in defense innovation, opening new opportunities for the development of Ukraine's defense industry.
Photo: Olha Tanasiichuk / Ukrinform
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