Sweden pledges 16th package of $1.25bln in military aid to Ukraine
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ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, Rb 99 medium-range air-to-air missiles and artillery ammunition, and all of its model 302 armored infantry fighting vehicles will be given by Sweden to Ukraine.
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A member of protocol arranges the Swedish flag as protocol prepares for a flag-raising ceremony to mark the accession of Sweden at NATO headquarters in Brussels, on Monday, March 11, 2024. (AP)
Sweden has pledged 13.3 billion kronor ($1.25 billion) of military aid to Ukraine, as Kiev struggles with multiple delays of Western military aid in its third year of conflict with Russia.
Sweden will give Ukraine various materials, including ASC 890 surveillance aircraft, Rb 99 medium-range air-to-air missiles and artillery ammunition, and all of its model 302 armored infantry fighting vehicles.
Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch told reporters, "Sweden is supporting Ukraine with its 16th aid package, its largest to date worth 13.3 billion kronor."
Taking part in the press conference through a video link, Defense Minister Pal Jonson said that the ASC 890 surveillance aircraft would be particularly useful for Ukraine's air defense, enabling it "to identify incoming cruise missiles and drones and identify targets both on the ground and at sea."
Sweden got Zelensky's back
Regardless of Sweden's eagerness to also send Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, on May 28, the air force coalition for Ukraine asked it to pause on the jets as sending US-made F-16s to the Ukrainian air force is more of a priority.
Looking out for Ukraine's energy supply, Sweden has declared in recent days that it will send a 650-million-kronor aid package, in addition to a framework civilian and military aid package of 75 billion kronor over three years, from 2024 to 2026, to support Kiev "as long as necessary."
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Sweden has contributed more than 100 billion kronor to Ukraine.
Sweden officially joined NATO, ending 200 years of neutrality
Sweden officially became the 32nd NATO member on March 7, ending two centuries of formal non-alignment and concluding two years of excruciating diplomacy as the war in Ukraine rages on.
The official accession became possible after the Hungarian parliament in March voted to approve the Nordic nation's bid to join the NATO alliance.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was in Washington, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to ceremonially receive the ratification paperwork following a hard-fought campaign to get the necessary approval from all NATO countries.
The accession "is a victory for freedom today. Sweden has made a free, democratic, sovereign and united choice to join NATO," he said at a ceremony in Washington with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Binken, on his part, called the move a "strategic debacle" for Russia, adding that "good things come to those who wait."
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed that this was a "historic day" for Sweden to take its "rightful place" in providing an equal say in NATO policies.
He highlighted that following more than 200 years of non-alignment, the ally is now protected under "Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of allies' freedom and security."
