Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is in Sweden and is received by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. At a summit with the Nordic leaders, all countries, including Sweden, signed agreements on security cooperation with Ukraine.
TV4’s foreign commentator Lisa Grenfors comments on Zelensky’s unexpected state visit and Ukraine’s hopes for the upcoming peace conference in Switzerland.
How surprising is his visit?
It is surprising in that way that there was no advance warning or hint that Zelenskyj would come to Stockholm today. Sometimes it happens that Zelensky’s participation in meetings and conferences abroad is announced in advance, but most often, for security reasons, the information is kept only in a small circle.
Why does he choose to come to Stockholm right now?
The direct reason for the visit is the Nordic summit on the theme of security and defense in which Zelensky is now participating. Agreements were already signed at the beginning in connection with the speeches that Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the President of Ukraine gave to the press corps in Rosenbad. The last time Ukrainian President Zelensky visited Sweden was in August last year. It was then the president’s first visit since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The visit had a different aura than today’s working meeting, as the president’s wife Olena also participated and the couple visited, among other things, a beautiful late summer Harpsund.
What issues will be discussed apart from security and defence?
Prime Minister Kristersson said that the peace conference in Switzerland in mid-June is a point of discussion during Zelensky’s visit. About eighty countries are participating, but not Russia. The conditions for peace are currently poor, but the conference is not about the parties sitting around a table and hammering out a peace. The purpose of the meeting in Switzerland is to strengthen Ukraine and show the outside world that Ukraine has the right to defend itself against the aggressor. But also to show that Ukraine wants peace and what it might look like. It has long been important to Zelensky that many countries stand behind Ukraine, even countries outside Europe. In addition, Ukraine knows that a future peace with Russia cannot happen without China’s participation in one way or another. Therefore, it is a disadvantage that China announced on Friday that the country does not intend to participate.