Sweden announces €120 million winter aid package for Ukraine
Sweden has allocated SEK 1.4 billion (approximately €120 million) to Ukraine, which, among other things, will support the country's population on the eve of winter.
Source: European Pravda with reference to SVT
Details: Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Foreign Minister Johan Forssell presented the new aid package on Monday.
Kristersson said at the press conference that this is the largest support within Sweden's bilateral assistance to Ukraine.
Most of the funds, SEK 900 million, will go to the World Bank's Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund (URTF). The fund supports Ukrainian infrastructure in energy, housing construction, health care and transport.
The money taken from Sweden's aid budget, among other things, will be used to purchase heating equipment and increase the Ukrainian power grid capacity. The Swedish side also mentioned other measures that would help Ukrainians survive the winter, for example, the shelters' construction.
Forssell noted that this is precisely what the Ukrainian side requested.
He accused Russia of carrying out a kind of "energy terrorism" against Ukraine.
"Russia is deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure to make the already severe test for the civilian population even more difficult. With this package, we want to help Ukraine both build new ones and restore what was destroyed," the minister pointed out.
Meanwhile, Kristersson warned fellow EU countries of consequences if they fail to agree on an expanded long-term budget at a summit in Brussels this week.
"I still hope we can do this. But I want to emphasise that this is not about the usual European disagreements that we sometimes have because then, it is enough to just have another meeting later, but it has huge implications if we will not agree," he noted.
Background: General Micael Bydén, Commander-in-Chief of the Swedish Armed Forces, visited units of the 45th Separate Artillery Brigade which is fighting in Ukraine's east.
Sweden is a member of the aircraft coalition, whose objective is to supply Ukraine with fighter jets. Previously, Ukrainian pilots and ground personnel had the opportunity to undergo training on Gripen aircraft in Sweden.
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