Swedish Parliament Supports Transfer Of Military Equipment Worth $600Mln To Ukraine

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2023) The Swedish parliament backed on Thursday a proposal to allow the government to supply up to 6.2 billion Swedish kronor ($599.8 million) worth of military equipment to Ukraine.

"The Government is to have the right to decide to donate military equipment to Ukraine, and to sell artillery pieces to the UK. This is the essence of a proposal from the Government, which the Riksdag (Swedish parliament) has approved. The proposal was submitted in an additional amending budget for 2023. By way of an authorisation, the Riksdag gives the Government the right to decide to donate military equipment to Ukraine to a maximum value of SEK 6.2 billion," the parliament said in a statement.

The proposal includes tanks, the Archer Artillery Systems and Robot 97 systems, as well as ammunition, the statement noted.

To fund the proposal, the allocation for the Swedish armed forces this year will be increased by 730 million Swedish kronor, the statement added.

"For the period 2024-28, the Government's assessment is that appropriations to the Swedish Armed Forces need to increase by SEK 6.1 billion. The donation to Ukraine will partly also be financed by revenue from sales," the parliament said.

In April 2022, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev after Russia started its military operation in Ukraine. Kremlin said that pumping Ukraine with weapons did not contribute to the success of peace negotiations and would have a detrimental effect on the conflict. The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned on numerous occasions that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia.