On Monday, March 31, the Swedish government announced the largest military aid package to Ukraine, amounting to $1.6 billion.
Swedish Minister of Defence, Pål Jonson, shared the news on social media, stating:
“Today, Sweden presented its largest military support package to Ukraine to date, valued at almost $1.6 billion. The package includes, among other things, support for Ukraine’s air defence, artillery, satellite communications, and maritime capacity."
Jonson further explained that the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) assessed the ability of the industrial market to produce defense equipment with delivery times ranging from zero to 24 months.
"Sweden will in this package procure new equipment from the defence industry for about $912 million," Jonson added.
He also noted that a significant portion of Ukraine's international military support is provided through multilateral initiatives, coalitions within the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, and purchases from Ukrainian defense industrial enterprises via donations.
"Sweden will donate about $465 million to these funds and initiatives," Jonson said.
The minister mentioned that the announced aid package also includes equipment for the Swedish Armed Forces and spare parts for previously provided assistance worth approximately $93 million.
"This new aid includes m/58 machine guns, ammunition, approximately 100 vehicles of various types for air base maintenance and more," Jonson added.
Additionally, he mentioned that an export guarantee for defense exports will be issued to complement purchases for Ukraine.
"This means more companies can support Ukraine by providing requested material, alongside the Swedish FMV's procurements. $46 million is allocated to this," Jonson explained.
Jonson also revealed that FMV will be tasked with identifying, testing, and funding "military solutions" from small tech companies that need to be tested or scaled up for military purposes in Ukraine.
"Through this Sweden is establishing a form of "Dragons' Den" for military support to Ukraine," he concluded.
