Swedish Archer self-propelled guns will be in Ukraine as soon as possible – Prime Minister Kristersson

Speaking during a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson promised swift weapons supplies:

"This will happen as soon as possible. We will not, of course, talk about the exact dates of delivery for obvious reasons. But there are also practical issues related, in particular, to preparation," he said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that he was grateful to Prime Minister Kristersson for the fact that only recently Sweden had allocated about $1 billion in defense aid to Ukraine.

"Our soldiers are especially looking forward to the recently approved package – brilliant Swedish Archers, one of the best artillery systems in the world," he added.

The Swedish Prime Minister also touched upon the issue of providing Ukraine with fighter jets.

"As for fighter jets, last week Sweden said the same thing as other countries: "We do not exclude". Now is not the time for such an exception. But we must also recognize that there is an international coalition that will take the first steps. We understand that this should not be a long time for Ukraine, but there are also national considerations, and countries have to think about how they will protect themselves. This process is ongoing," Kristersson added.

• On January 19, Ulf Kristersson said that the Swedish government had approved the delivery of the Archer artillery systems and 50 armoured Type 90 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine.

• On Wednesday, February 15, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson arrived in Ukraine for a visit.