Sweden pledged $7 billion in military support to Ukraine, on Wednesday, just two months after the Scandinavian country joined NATO, breaking with a centuries-long tradition of geopolitical neutrality.
The $7 billion - or 75 billion Swedish crowns - will be evenly distributed over three years. The military support could take the form of both donated equipment and direct financial contributions, according to a joint statement from the country's defense and finance ministries.
"With this proposal, the total military and civilian support from Sweden to Ukraine will amount to over SEK 100 billion [nearly $10 billion]," the ministries said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to the Swedes in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
"I appreciate Sweden's long-term support for Ukraine, which will strengthen everyone-not just Ukraine but Europe's entire perimeter from the Baltics to the Black Sea and every region where Russian madmen may attempt to revise land or sea borders," he wrote on Wednesday evening.
The Swedish government emphasized that the payments were intended to assist Ukraine while ensuring its own national security.
"With Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the security situation in Europe is the most serious since World War II. This means that the rearmament at home must continue at the same time as the support for Ukraine continues," the government's press release said.
"The cooperation parties therefore also agree that support to Ukraine is carried out so that the build-up of Swedish defense capability is not undermined or that other necessary reforms are crowded out."
