The Swedish armed forces will receive SEK 660 million (EUR 58 million) this year in additional funds to finance the long-awaited accession to NATO. This was stated by the Minister of Defense of Sweden, Pal Jonson, writes European Pravda with reference to the Euractiv publication.
The additional funding reportedly includes NATO membership fees of just over SEK 300 million (EUR 26 million) and costs to adapt various command and control systems to the defense alliance's requirements.
"Sweden must take measures to strengthen its defense capabilities," Jonson said at a press conference on Wednesday.
He emphasized the importance of progress in Sweden's weapons program while Russian troops are in Ukraine.
At the same time, the Swedish government is also proposing that the Defense Forces can order additional arms and defense materials worth SEK 16.7 billion (EUR 1.4 billion) by 2033, which will allow for the modernization of the Jas Gripen fighter jets.
Sweden expects to join NATO despite delays in ratification by the parliaments of Hungary and Turkey.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated that Ukraine should become the 33rd member of NATO, and Sweden - the 32nd.
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