Sweden plans to send as many as 50 armored combat vehicles to Ukraine as part of its new military aid package, according to a Swedish government statement released Thursday.
The package “consists of, among other things, grenade launchers with ammunition, anti-armour ammunition, automatic rifles and mine clearance materiel combat vehicle 90 (CV90) with ammunition and Missile 57 (NLAW),” the statement said.
The new military aid — which also consists of an Archer artillery system — would be worth 4.3 billion Swedish crowns ($419 million) and it’s the biggest defense package Sweden has given to Ukraine so far, according to the statement.
Swedish deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch said at a news conference Thursday that Ukraine will be provided with up to 50 CV90 infantry military vehicles and that this makes up the main part of the package.
“Combat Vehicle 90 is Swedish manufactured and considered one of the world’s best combat vehicles, and we’re sending them in a quantity that we know will make a difference,” she said.
The Swedish government has not said how many Archer artillery systems it would send to Ukraine.
What Ukraine is saying: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Sweden for its support, saying in a tweet, “Sincerely grateful to the Government of Sweden [and the Swedish prime minister] for the new military assistance package.”
“CV90 IFVs, Archer self-propelled howitzers & NLAW ATGMs are powerful weapons that [the Ukrainian] army needs to liberate our land from the Russian invader,” Zelensky wrote. “Together to a common victory!” he added.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleskii Reznikov also thanked his Swedish counterpart Kristersson, the Swedish defence minister Pål Jonson for “the 10th package of security assistance” to Ukraine.
“Our warriors will master the artillery and vehicles quickly,” Reznikov said in a tweet Thursday.
