International defence cooperation

Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist, Denmark’s Minister of Defence Morten Bødskov and Norway’s Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram met on 8 August in Malmö. They discussed enhanced cooperation between the three countries to contribute to security and stability in the Baltic Sea region.

The Government has decided that the Swedish Armed Forces will send instructors to the UK to give Ukrainian citizens basic military training to enable them to serve in Ukraine’s armed forces. The aim is to make it possible for Ukraine to maintain and strengthen its defence capabilities.

A number of exercises within the framework of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) will be held in Sweden and Finland in the coming months, following the two countries’ applications for NATO membership. Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist attended a JEF exercise at Skaraborg Air Force Wing (F 7) in Såtenäs on 5 July.

On 4–6 July, the Swedish and British Air Forces conduct a joint exercise at Skaraborg Air Force Wing (F 7) in Såtenäs. Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist will visit the exercise on 5 July.

Russia’s war against Ukraine and its consequences were on the agenda when the defence ministers of the ten Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) partner nations met in Oslo on 14–15 June. Sweden was represented by Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist.

The ministers of defence of the countries participating in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) met in Oslo, Norway on 15 June 2022, and gave the following statement.

Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist will travel to Oslo to attend a meeting on 14–15 June with his colleagues from the countries participating in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF).

At a meeting in Reykjavik on 7 June, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist and Finland’s Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen signed a bilateral memorandum of understanding on host country support. The memorandum of understanding enhances the capacity of the two countries to act together in times of peace, crisis and war.

The defence ministers of the countries participating in the Northern Group defence policy forum met in Reykjavik on 8 June. On the agenda was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its impact on the security situation in the region.

The ministers of defence of the Northern Group met in Reykjavík, Iceland, on 8 June, and gave the following statement.

Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist will be in Reykjavik, Iceland on 7–8 June to take part in a ministerial meeting of the Northern Group defence policy forum.

Denmark’s Minister of Defence Morten Bødskov, Norway’s Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram and Jan-Olof Lind, State Secretary to Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist, met on Tuesday 24 May on Bornholm, Denmark. The meeting took place in connection with the annual US-led DEFENDER-Europe exercise.

The Nordic defence ministers or their representatives met on 24 May 2022 on the island of Bornholm, Denmark, and gave the following statement. At the meeting, Sweden was represented by Jan-Olof Lind, State Secretary to Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist.

On 18 May, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist met with US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin in Washington DC to discuss Sweden’s application for NATO membership and the security environment in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On 17 May, EU defence ministers met in Brussels to discuss how to implement the EU’s Strategic Compass. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was also on the agenda. State Secretary Jan-Olof Lind represented Sweden at the meeting.

The Government has adopted a bill proposing legislative amendments to quickly streamline Sweden’s ability to receive military support. The aim is to enable quicker decisions on receiving operational military support in the form of military forces from states that are members of the EU or NATO.

On Thursday 19 May 2022, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson will travel to Washington DC to meet with US President Joe Biden and Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö.

This decision is based on a security analysis that the Government invited the other Riksdag parties to take part in and its conclusions that were presented in a report on 13 May.

On Monday 16 May, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist will travel to Washington DC to meet US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, at the invitation of the Pentagon. The meeting will focus on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and Sweden’s forthcoming application for NATO membership.

On 11–12 May, Minister for Defence Peter Hultqvist took part in a meeting in northern Norway with his counterparts from the other Nordic countries. The defence ministers visited the Norwegian-Russian border and discussed strengthened Nordic cooperation.