STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – The Swedish government announced on Thursday a new package of military aid to Ukraine that will include armoured infantry fighting vehicles and said it had ordered its defence forces to prepare shipment of the artillery system Archer.
The package is worth 4.3 billion Swedish crowns ($419 million) and will also include NLAW anti-tank weapons.
“Military support to Ukraine is absolutely crucial,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told a news conference. “Ukraine’s wishes in terms of what they want carries a lot of weight in our decision.”
Sweden will send about 50 of its tracked and armoured Type 90 infantry fighting vehicle. The government did not specify how many Archer systems it would supply.
Ahead of the package presented on Thursday, Sweden had announced around 5 billion Swedish crowns of military aid to Ukraine as well as several instalments of humanitarian supplies.
Sweden currently holds the rotating EU presidency and has applied to join the NATO alliance along with Finland, a move that abandons decades of non-alignment following the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a special military operation”.
Sweden has 48 Archer systems, which is a vehicle-mounted self-propelled gun howitzer made by Bofors BAE that Ukraine has long expressed an interest in adding to its arsenal as it seeks to repel Russian forces.
($1 = 10.2725 Swedish crowns)
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander and Niklas Pollard)
