Ministry of Defence

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Russia’s war against Ukraine and its consequences were on the agenda when the defence ministers of the ten Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) partner nations met in Oslo on 14–15 June. Sweden was represented by Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist.

The ministers of defence of the countries participating in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) met in Oslo, Norway on 15 June 2022, and gave the following statement.

Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist will travel to Oslo to attend a meeting on 14–15 June with his colleagues from the countries participating in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).

At a meeting in Reykjavik on 7 June, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist and Finland’s Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen signed a bilateral memorandum of understanding on host country support. The memorandum of understanding enhances the capacity of the two countries to act together in times of peace, crisis and war.

The defence ministers of the countries participating in the Northern Group defence policy forum met in Reykjavik on 8 June. On the agenda was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the security situation in the region.

The ministers of defence of the Northern Group met in Reykjavík, Iceland, on 8 June, and gave the following statement.

Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist will be in Reykjavik, Iceland on 7–8 June to take part in a ministerial meeting of the Northern Group defence policy forum.

On 3 June, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist took part in a panel discussion at the Bratislava Forum security conference. In connection with this, he also had a bilateral meeting with his Slovak counterpart, Jaroslav Naď.

The Government today adopted an additional amending budget with proposals for Sweden to provide Ukraine with financial support and equipment in response to Russia’s invasion. The Government’s proposals include Sweden donating defence materiel in the form of the RBS 17 anti-ship missile system, AG 90 anti-materiel sniper rifles and ammunition, and an additional 5 000 Swedish AT-4 recoilless anti-tank weapons.

In March and April, the Government approved additional military support to Ukraine besides the support previously approved by the Riksdag and the Government.

Denmark’s Minister of Defence Morten Bødskov, Norway’s Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram and Jan-Olof Lind, State Secretary to Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist, met on Tuesday 24 May on Bornholm, Denmark. The meeting took place in connection with the annual US-led DEFENDER-Europe exercise.

The Nordic defence ministers or their representatives met on 24 May 2022 on the island of Bornholm, Denmark, and gave the following statement. At the meeting, Sweden was represented by Jan-Olof Lind, State Secretary to Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist.

On 18 May, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist met with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in Washington DC to discuss Sweden’s application for NATO membership and the security environment in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On 17 May, EU defence ministers met in Brussels to discuss how to implement the EU’s Strategic Compass. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was also on the agenda. State Secretary Jan-Olof Lind represented Sweden at the meeting.

The Government has adopted a bill proposing legislative amendments to quickly streamline Sweden’s ability to receive military support. The aim is to enable quicker decisions on receiving operational military support in the form of military forces from states that are members of the EU or NATO.

On Monday 16 May, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist will travel to Washington DC to meet US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, at the invitation of the Pentagon. The meeting will focus on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and Sweden’s forthcoming application for NATO membership.

On 16 March 2022, the Government decided to set up a working group to deliberate on the changed security environment following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde led the deliberations. Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist also took part.

On 16 March this year, the Government initiated discussion with the parties of the Riksdag concerning the changed security situation following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The result of these discussions will be presented at a press briefing on Friday 13 May.

On 11–12 May, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist took part in a meeting in northern Norway with his counterparts from the other Nordic countries. The defence ministers visited the Norwegian-Russian border and discussed strengthened Nordic cooperation.