Sweden plans to send as many as 50 armored combat vehicles to Ukraine as part of its new military aid program, according to a statement from the Swedish government on Thursday.
The package “included grenade launchers with ammunition, anti-armor ammunition, automatic rifles and mine clearance materiel Vehicle 90 (CV90) and Ammunition and Missile 57 (NLAW),” the statement said.
The new military aid – which also includes an Archer artillery system – will be worth 4.3 billion Swedish kronor ($419 million), the largest defense aid package Sweden has provided to Ukraine so far, the statement said.
Ukraine will receive up to 50 CV90 infantry military vehicles, which form a major part of the plan, Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Eba Busch said at a news conference on Thursday.
“The Combat Vehicle 90 is built in Sweden and is considered one of the best combat vehicles in the world, and the amount we sent we knew it would make a difference,” she said.
The Swedish government has not said how many Archer artillery systems will be shipped to Ukraine.
What Ukraine is saying: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Sweden for its support, tweeting, “Thank you very much to the Swedish government [and the Swedish prime minister] for the new military aid program. ”
“The CV90 IFV, the Archer SPG and the NLAW ATGM are formidable weapons, [the Ukrainian] The military needs to liberate our country from Russian invaders,” Zelensky wrote. “Together we win! ’ he added.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleskii Reznikov also thanked his Swedish counterpart, Kristersson, for providing “Security Package 10” to Ukraine by Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson.
“Our fighters will soon master artillery and vehicles,” Reznikov tweeted Thursday.