Defence

On Monday June 27, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. In conjunction with a joint press conference, Ms Andersson delivered a speech.

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.

Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson received NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Monday 13 June. During their meeting, Ms Andersson and Mr Stoltenberg discussed Sweden’s and Finland’s applications for NATO membership, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the security situation in Sweden’s neighbourhood.

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).

Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will receive NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday 13 June. They will discuss Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership applications, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the security situation in our neighbourhood.

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.

The European Council is holding a special meeting in Brussels on 30–31 May. A number of issues related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are expected to be discussed. These include continued EU support to Ukraine, energy and food security. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson is representing Sweden.

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 17 May, Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde signed Sweden’s formal request for NATO membership, which was then presented to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on 18 May.

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.