Pål Jonson

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

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.

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

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.

Today, 19 February, the Government presented one of Sweden’s largest ever military support packages for Ukraine. The 21st support package is worth nearly SEK 12.9 billion and addresses Ukraine’s most urgent needs. It largely comprises newly manufactured air defence materiel, long-range weapons systems and ammunition.

Minister for Defence Pål Jonson has invited his Slovak counterpart, Minister of Defence of the Slovak Republic Robert Kaliňák, to Sweden and Örnsköldsvik on Friday 20 February 2026. The purpose of the visit is to attend the roll-out of Slovakia’s first combat vehicle 90 (CV 90) at the Örnsköldsvik factory.

Sweden is contributing USD 100 million to the US support package Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL). Together with the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom, Sweden will fund a joint support package totalling USD 500 million aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s defence capabilities.

Sweden will contribute with fighter aircraft (JAS 39 Gripen) to the newly established NATO operation Arctic Sentry. The operation aims to support security in the Arctic and the High North.

On 11 and 12 February, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will take part in the meeting of EU Defence Ministers and the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence. In conjunction with the NATO Defence Ministers meeting, a meeting will also take place within the framework of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Increased support to Ukraine will be a central theme of all three meetings.

Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and Danish Minister for Defence Troels Lund Poulsen has presented a Swedish and Danish joint procurement of TRIDON Mk2 air defence systems to support Ukraine. By offering other countries the opportunity to co-finance Swedish-made materiel, volumes can be increased, costs reduced and production capacity increased. All this enables Ukraine to get more weapon systems faster.

Their Majesties The King and Queen will pay a State Visit to Poland on 10–12 March 2026 at the invitation of President Karol Nawrocki.