Military defence

On Thursday 4 June, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will host a press conference with Brazil’s Minister of Defence José Múcio.

On May 28th 2026 the Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a Joint Declaration on Enhanced Security and Defence Cooperation.

Today, on Thursday 28 May, Ukraine announced its intention to purchase 20 Gripen E/F aircraft as a first step following the Letter of Intent signed by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 22 October 2025. In conjunction with the sale, Sweden will donate up to 16 JAS 39 Gripen C/D aircraft from the Swedish Armed Forces’ current fleet, together with advanced ammunition. To replace these donated aircraft, new modern Gripen E/F aircraft will be procured for the Swedish Air Force, in addition to those previously ordered.

Ukraine’s highest priority is air defence. To strengthen Ukrainian air defence, Sweden and Ukraine launch a major defence deal, in which Ukraine acquires Swedish Gripen fighter jets.

On 20–21 May, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson received NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The meeting focused on Sweden’s total defence, civil defence and resilience.

NATO has appointed the, in Östergötland based, incubator LEAD as an accelerator site in the DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic) network. This means that Sweden will have its own accelerator site in NATO’s efforts to accelerate the development of new technologies that can be used for both civil and military needs.

The Government has recently tasked the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration with initiating negotiations on the procurement of four frigates based on the FDI concept (Frégate de Défense et d’Intervention) from France’s Naval Group. The four frigates, which will be part of Sweden’s Luleå class programme, are scheduled for delivery between 2030 and 2034.

On Thursday 21 May, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will receive NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte for a bilateral meeting and joint visit focused on Sweden’s total defence, civil defence and resilience. In conjunction with the meeting, they will hold a joint press briefing in Revinge, Skåne.

On 12 May, EU defence ministers will meet in Brussels within the framework of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. Continued EU support to Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and its implications for European defence and security, and strengthening European defence preparedness are on the agenda. Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will represent Sweden at the meeting.

On May 5-6 the Nordic Ministers of Defence gathered in Trøndelag under Norway's chairship of NORDEFCO in 2026.

On Thursday 7 May, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will host a press conference with Ukraine’s Minister of Defence Mykhailo Fedorov

On Tuesday 5 May, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson received President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda for a bilateral meeting in Stockholm. Minister for EU Affairs Jessica Rosencrantz also participated.

In his speech on nuclear deterrence doctrine, given on March 2nd at Ile Longue, President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron announced bilateral strategic dialogues with the European partners involved, to establish the concept of forward deterrence.

Joint statement by the Leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), Helsinki, 26 March 2026.

Together with Swedish Minister for Defence Pål Jonson, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius will visit Stockholm and Linköping on 26–27 March 2026. In Linköping, they will visit Saab to discuss Swedish missile capability and tour its operations. They will also view the GlobalEye aircraft system.

The Government has instructed the Swedish Armed Forces, Defence Materiel Administration and Swedish Defence Research Agency to increase their participation in the Electromagnetic Warfare Capability Coalition in support of Ukraine. The government agencies will contribute to managing and developing the work of the coalition.

During last week’s State Visit to Poland, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson visited Gdynia with Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and went on board Swedish submarine HMS Uppland.

Joint statement by the Prime Ministers of the Nordic countries and Canada, Oslo, 15 March 2026.

Sweden aims to take a leading role in artificial intelligence. The Government is now presenting a new AI strategy with the aim of providing more effective government agencies, clearer rules for businesses and better conditions for research. The objective is for Sweden to be among the world’s top 10 countries in the field of AI.