Ukraine gets streamlined access to one of Europe’s key arms market
Ukraine on Wednesday signed an agreement with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) on cooperation in defence procurement, defence minister Oleksii Reznikov said.
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“This document provides great opportunities both for our Armed Forces and for Swedish companies like SAAB and others,” Mr Reznikov posted on Twitter.
According to the agreement, FMV will now allow Ukraine to purchase defence equipment through Swedish agreements, including through the Swedish defence industry, local news channel TV4 reports.
This means that Ukraine’s orders can be delivered months to years faster, Johan Hjelmstrand, the Swedish defence chief’s press secretary, explained.
It is not yet known what kind of weapons Ukraine is going to buy from Sweden, nor does the agreement specify the terms of financing these contracts, which could be either international aid or Ukraine's own funding.
Sweden is one of the largest arms manufacturers in Europe.
Ukraine already uses Sweden’s CV-90 armoured personnel carriers, NLAW anti-tank systems, and Carl Gustaf hand grenade launchers.
An Archer self-propelled artillery system is expected to arrive in Ukraine in the near future.
