United to win: Sweden to grant Ukraine €6.5 bln in military aid for three-year period

Before the NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels, Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson announced that his country will offer 6.5 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine for the next three years.

Ukrinform reports this.

"Today we have a meeting with the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, where Sweden will once again announce our long-term contribution to support Ukraine. We have pledged 6.5 billion euros over three years. We will also talk about our latest support package for Ukraine, which is approximately 1.2 billion euros," Johnson said.

He also noted that this is a very important meeting for his country, because it is the first time that Sweden participates in a meeting of defense ministers as a full member.

"This upcoming meeting in Washington holds great significance for NATO. We hope to see a strong spirit of unity and determination among all members. In addition, we will also convene with the Ukraine-NATO Council to discuss NATO's coordinating role. This is something that Sweden is very welcome to discuss, as well as the ability to prepare and protect every inch of the alliance's territory. Of course, there will also be discussions within the nuclear planning group, as we stand by NATO's principle of deterring nuclear and conventional threats. This meeting will serve as a crucial stepping stone towards the summit in July," Johnson said.

For reference:

The meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the Ramstein format takes place within the framework of the meeting of defense ministers of NATO member countries. According to the published program of events, a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council at the level of defense ministers will also be held on June 13.

The US Department of Defense said that the discussion of opportunities to strengthen Ukraine's air defenses, including Patriot installations and other systems, will be the focus of the 23rd meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group (UDCG) on Thursday in Brussels.

The contact group on the defense of Ukraine, the so-called "Ramstein" format, unites about 50 countries with the aim of coordinating efforts to support Ukraine in the conditions of its resistance to Russian aggression in Europe.

Argentina also joined the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in the Ramstein format.

During the opening of the 23rd meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group (UDCG) in Brussels, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted that since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, at least 350,000 Russian service members have been killed or wounded.

Lloyd Austin also stated that member countries of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group have already pledged to provide Ukraine with security assistance worth more than $98 billion.

Additionally, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that Germany will be transferring one quarter of its own Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, considering the imminent delivery of a third system.

In addition, Canada will send more than 2,000 CRV7 rocket engines, as well as cartridges for small arms and remote control systems to Ukraine.