During Thursday, defense ministers from 17 countries met in Copenhagen, during a donor conference for Ukraine. One of the participating countries was Sweden.
At the meeting, three main directions were identified for the long-term support. It is about military training, demining and weapons production. Last week, the government announced that Sweden will contribute 120 instructors who will train the Ukrainian military. The training efforts may be expanded further, says the Minister of Defense to SVT.
Need artillery system
Weapons production for Ukraine may also become relevant in several countries. Above all, artillery systems are needed.
According to Hultqvist, Slovakia, Poland and the Czech Republic have already reported that they can help with arms production.
– It’s about using production lines in different countries to produce weapons that can be directly delivered to Ukraine, says Peter Hultqvist.
– We expect the conflict to be long-lasting and therefore we believe that the deliveries that have been made so far should be supplemented with direct production.
Can manufacture weapons for Ukraine
Sweden may also contribute with weapons production.
– It’s not something I’m ruling out, but it’s too early to say. We are involved in all three dimensions in a positive way, but then in the end we get to see how we put it all together, says Peter Hultqvist.
A fund is also to be established, where countries can contribute financial means for arms production to Ukraine.
Sweden has previously contributed weapons to Ukraine on several occasions. Among other things, thousands of anti-tank rounds have been sent to the country.
A new meeting will be held in September. Then the 26 participants at the donor conference must make more concrete decisions for the three areas.
During the conference, several countries pledged additional support to Ukraine in the form of weapons and money. According to TT, the equivalent of SEK 15 billion was collected. Britain also promised to send more artillery pieces to the country.