Sweden has provided Ukraine with defense equipment worth around ten billion kroner.
When EU leaders meet for a summit in Brussels, the Ukrainian president asks for more. Volodymyr Zelenskyj is on site in his own high person and during Thursday afternoon had individual meetings with groups of countries.
Sweden was included in a group together with Spain, Italy, Poland, Romania and the Netherlands.
Then the president turned to each with a wish list of support.
For the Swedish part, it is about everything from Gripen aircraft to ammunition, says Ulf Kristersson.
– He would like to have more of everything. So I recognized that list pretty well.
But no Gripen plans are relevant for the Swedish part at the moment, continues the prime minister.
– We have a very big need for the aircraft that we have ourselves. We have a very sharp air force, but it is not a large air force. That is the strongest reason.
Also the educational efforts and the risk that the war would involve more countries than Ukraine weigh heavily.
– There are always limits in war before you actually become part of the war, says Kristersson.
Tense security mode
At the same time, one must take into account the tense security situation at a time when Sweden has applied for NATO membership but is not yet a member, he emphasizes.
– Everyone understands that it is quite a difficult balancing act. I am not ruling anything out, but right now that issue is not relevant for the Swedish part.
Britain has promised to train Ukrainian fighter pilots and marines. At a press conference on Wednesday, Zelenskyy pleaded: “Give us wings.”
When the president held a press conference in the council building in Brussels, he repeated this:
– We need artillery, ammunition, tanks, long-range robots and modern fighter planes.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says that the message to Zelenskyj is that Europe stands together for Ukraine.
– We continue to help Ukraine with weapons individually in different countries. Sweden is one of the countries that makes great efforts to help the Ukrainian armed forces.