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Swedish MFA: We Also See Russia as a Threat
As Russia’s full-scale war nears its fourth year, Sweden keeps stepping up to support Ukraine. In an exclusive interview, Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard outlines new aid for 2026 and highlights growing military cooperation—including plans to train Ukrainian pilots on Swedish jets.
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![Photo of Olena Blizniakova]( "Photo of Olena Blizniakova")
![Photo of J. Thomas]( "Photo of J. Thomas")
-73e9c0fd8873a094288a7552f3ac2ab4.jpg "Photo of Olena Blizniakova")
Sweden continues to be one of Ukraine's main allies, providing assistance across many areas—from humanitarian aid to military aid. With over $12 billion pledged since 2022, Stockholm is standing firm in its support. A few days after our conversation with Stenergard, Sweden announced a new SEK 1 billion ($110 million) support package for Ukraine’s energy sector.
Sweden is one of Ukraine’s strongest allies. Could you describe which areas are the current priorities, and whether there are already plans to expand cooperation into new spheres in 2026?
Supporting Ukraine is the biggest priority for Sweden in foreign affairs. Ukraine is not only fighting for its own freedom, but also for ours. It's something that we don't just say—we really understand that, because we also see Russia as a threat. To us, this is real. This is why it is also our obligation to help Ukraine. Since the war started, we have increased our support every year, and in 2026, we plan to support Ukraine with $5 billion in several areas. It's the military, the humanitarian sector, the energy sector, but also supporting the path towards EU membership, because we want Ukraine in the EU. You belong to the European family, and I think that we can support that in several ways.
You have said that it is crucial to strengthen sanctions against Russia. Which sanctions need to be strengthened most urgently right now?
We need to hit the war economy of Russia in order to be able to change the equation, and we still need to hit the energy incomes of Russia.
Me and my Finnish colleague, Elina Valtonen, just proposed a full-service maritime ban, which will hit the Shadow Fleet, which is a big source of income for Russia. We also proposed that we should stop the imports of Russian fertilizers, which is also quite a big income for Russia. Morally, we should definitely stop the luxury European products from going to Russia, such as European wines and clothes. It's a disgrace that they can still buy those products.
Is the idea of strengthening these types of sanctions supported across the entire European Union? And what about the next sanctions package—are you already working on it?
We are working on the 20th sanctions package, and this is work that never ends. Once we have adopted a new package, we have to start working on the next one, because Russia always finds new ways of going around the sanctions. These three that I proposed, we have already sent to the Commission, and we urge other countries in the European Union to join our proposals. But we need to stick to our two-point plan, which is to increase the support to Ukraine and increase the pressure on Russia.
When we talk about increasing support for Ukraine, this also includes military cooperation between the two countries. Could you please describe the military cooperation between Sweden and Ukraine?
Since the war started, we have gone from supplying things that we had in stock to producing here and sending them to Ukraine. Now supporting the production in Ukraine is very important. You become so good at production, and invention, and development, and it's something that we could also learn from. This is also an investment in our military capabilities, at the same time as it is an investment in Ukraine. I'm also very glad that we started cooperating on air defense and fighter jets, and I hope that we will be able to close the deal on that.
We have already heard that the first group of Ukrainian pilots and technical personnel will soon arrive in Sweden to learn to operate Gripen aircraft. When will this happen?
I don't know yet, but we are doing everything in our power to make sure that we can find the financing together with Ukraine to make this happen as soon as possible. It would also be a great contribution to European security—this is something that is a great priority for us. We're working very hard to make it happen.
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