SWEDEN: Gov't To Donate USD1.2bn Military Package To Ukraine, 10% Of Def Budget

Sweden's Defence Minister Pal Jonson has announced that the gov't intends to donate a package worth SEK13.3bn (USD1.16bn) to Ukraine. The substantial package equates to around 10% of Sweden's entire annual military spending, but comes a day after Jonson confirmed to the TT news agency that Stockholm is pausing its planned shipment of Gripen fighter jets to Kyiv to allow for the introduction of US-made F-16s. 

• The Defence Ministry statement confirms Sweden will send, among other material, surveillance and control aircraft, its entire stock of armoured tracked personnel carriers, artillery, and maintenance equipment. 
• The package also includes the Advcance Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (RB 99-AMRAAM), which is able to be used both by aircraft and in ground-based air defence systems. For some time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stressed his country's need for more advanced air defence systems to counter Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, military and civilian targets. 
• In late April, a parliamentary committee recommended in a report that Sweden's defence spending rise from its current 2% of GDP to 2.6% by 2030. The committee includes representatives from all parties in parliament, raising the prospect of its implementation. If realised, it would see an additional SEK200bn (USD18.5bn) spent on defence by the end of the decade. Notably, though there is no detail on how the increase could or should be financed.