Zelenskyy Secures Military Pacts With Sweden, Norway

June 1, 2024

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine recently signed long-term security agreements with Sweden and Norway. These agreements show that Western countries are committed to helping Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. At the time of this event, Western partners were thinking about letting Ukraine use the weapons they gave them to attack targets inside Russia.

Details of the Agreements

Under the new deals, Sweden has agreed to send two ASC 890 surveillance planes, which are very important for finding and aiming incoming threats like drones and cruise missiles. Sweden will also give Ukraine all of its armored tracked personnel trucks. But Sweden’s plan to send Saab Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine has not been approved. This is because Sweden just joined the Western military alliance and does not currently have any of these jets. A security pact with Norway that lasts for ten years adds to the help program that the two countries already have in place. Over the next five years, this scheme will give $7 billion in military and humanitarian aid. The new agreement focuses on improving maritime and air defenses and making it easier for the Norwegian military industry to start local production projects in Ukraine. This is done to speed up the delivery of defense equipment.

Shift in German and U.S. Military Policy

Parallel to these security agreements, both Germany and the US have changed how they back Ukraine militarily. A big change is that both countries now agree with Ukraine using the long-range weapons they gave to attack targets in Russia. That this policy change supports the protection of Kharkiv, a key Ukrainian city close to the Russian border, shows that Western countries are becoming more determined to help Ukraine fight Russian advances.

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