Amendments to the state budget for 2023 - Defense materiel to Ukraine and sale of hunting robots to the USA
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns changes in the state budget for defense materiel to Ukraine and the sale of fighter jets to the USA. M considers it urgent and necessary to send ammunition and spare parts 1. S considers that the support is a strength for Sweden and stands behind the committee's proposal 2. SD considers it a matter of course to send parts to maintain weapons systems 3. V considers that military interventions are required and that Sweden must be an active party in the reconstruction 4. C considers that Sweden should have better planning for continuity 5. KD considers that the support is morally right and necessary 6. MP considers that Sweden must stop buying Russian fossil energy 7. L considers that the support is an act of solidarity 8. L considers that Sweden must also support Ukraine politically and humanitarily 8.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Edward Riedl (M)
Mr. Speaker! For most here at home in Sweden, the summer has meant sun and swimming, perhaps time with grandchildren and many other things, rest and recovery. Now the holidays are beginning to end for the vast majority in our country, and the autumn's work is underway or has been underway for a while.
Sweden has many problems that need to be solved. Swedish households are pressured by a tough economy. There is no shortage of problems in our country. But we live, despite all this, in peace and freedom. Just a short distance away, in another part of Europe, people in Ukraine experience all the horrors of war. Violence, death, and terrible atrocities are part of their everyday lives. Putin's Russia is conducting a full-scale war of aggression against its neighboring country Ukraine.
We who live in Sweden are in many ways lucky. We have gathered here in the Riksdag somewhat earlier than planned for the autumn term, and we now intend to do what is within our power to help and support the Ukrainian people in their struggle for freedom. Today we decide on the Committee on Finance's report Amendments to the state budget for 2023 - Defense materiel to Ukraine and sale of hunter drones to the USA.
During a press conference with Defense Minister Pål Jonson on Tuesday, a new support package from Sweden to Ukraine was presented, and it is that we will make a decision on here today. The support package includes ammunition and spare parts for the material systems that Sweden has donated to Ukraine. This concerns Stridsfordon 90 and Stridsvagn 122, to mention two of them. The support also means that Sweden donates transport vehicles, readiness goods, and mine-clearing equipment. At the same time, the government receives an authorization to decide on the sale of the Rb 99 missile to the USA, which shall then be donated further to Ukraine. The total value of the support package amounts to approximately 3.4 billion kronor.
The support package also includes compensation to the Armed Forces for, for example, transport and security costs. With this support package, Sweden will have contributed over 20 billion kronor in military support to Ukraine.
Since the invasion in February 2022, Sweden has additionally contributed the equivalent of 5.2 billion kronor to humanitarian and civil support. This involves increased aid through support to humanitarian organizations, support to promote the opportunities and rights of women and girls, and civil crisis management in the form of donations of, for example, medical supplies, fire protection, generators, and tents. Sweden also contributes support to Ukraine's reform work and reconstruction.
This week we have worked expeditiously to get a thirteenth support package in place, first through a committee initiative in the Finance Committee and today in the Chamber for further handling by Sweden's government.
Mr. Speaker! The defense of Ukraine's independence and territories will have a decisive significance not only for Ukraine's but for the entire European future. It is just as much about Swedish security interests.
Sweden, the Swedish government and the Swedish Riksdag will continue to do what we can to support the Ukrainian people. I am proud that we have been able to get this in place so promptly to now contribute to the Ukrainians' struggle to regain their freedom.
I would like to, here in this chamber, Mr. Speaker, express my thanks to the Speaker and to all the parties in the Riksdag for good and prompt cooperation. A big thank you to the Speaker's Office and the Finance Committee's office for all the work you have done during these few busy days!
It is urgent and absolutely necessary that we send more ammunition and spare parts for the combat vehicles and tanks that we have already donated. It is of the utmost importance that we continue to be responsive to Ukraine's needs and continue to support Ukraine for as long as is required. The Swedish determination to support Ukraine is compact. All parties in the Riksdag stand behind this.
Ingela Nylund Watz (S)
Mr. Speaker! In Ukraine, as we all know, one of the most serious wars since the Second World War is now being fought. The Russian warfare in Ukraine is brutal and the human suffering is completely unimaginable. Stories of sexual abuse, torture, deportations, and executions of the civilian population follow in the wake of the Russian troops. The Russian state leadership seems prepared to accept large own losses of both materiel and soldiers. Human lives are valued lowly in the Russian pursuit of geopolitical gains.
The Russian invasion of a peaceful, democratic neighboring country can never be tolerated, and we must continue to stand up for Ukraine's right to defend its sovereignty and its integrity. But Russia's war in Ukraine is about more than that. It is a confrontation with the entire democratic West, the European security order, and international law. Fundamentally, it is a conflict of values, where democracy is pitted against authoritarian rule or dictatorship. The security policy tensions will persist for a long time to come, Mr. Speaker.
Sweden's policy in this serious security policy situation has been based on three parts. It is about supporting Ukraine, imposing sanctions against Russia and strengthening Sweden.
Since the war of aggression began, Swedish support for Ukraine has amounted to more than 20 billion kronor - a work that started under the previous Social Democratic-led government and which has continued after the change of government. The broad consensus on support for Ukraine is a prerequisite for the support to be sustained and long-term. And it is a strength for Sweden.
The development of the war in Ukraine is directly decisive for the security policy situation here in Sweden as well. We will continue to support Ukraine in every way we can - economically, humanitarily and militarily.
Today, the Riksdag decides on another support package of defense materiel in the form of spare parts, emergency supplies, ammunition, mine-clearing equipment, and transport vehicles to a value of approximately 3.4 billion kronor. In addition, the government is authorized to decide on the sale of hunting robots to the USA, which will then be donated to Ukraine to strengthen the Ukrainian air defense. We Social Democrats stand fully and firmly behind the committee's proposal.
Mr. Speaker! The war in Ukraine and the changed security policy situation require us to also strengthen Sweden. In order to increase our defense capability, a reorganization of Swedish defense policy is currently underway. We have reached an agreement in broad consensus that defense expenditures shall amount to 2 percent of GDP. It is crucial that the increased resources for defense are also converted into an actual increase in defense capability.
But Sweden and the citizens' freedoms and rights are not only threatened by the serious security policy situation in Europe. The recent desecrations of religious scriptures have generated reactions far beyond our national borders, and today we have a deteriorated security situation here in Sweden. This shows the importance of constantly continuing the work of equipping Sweden's preparedness and resilience, both civilly and militarily, while we never, ever fail Ukraine.
With that, I move for approval of the committee's proposal in the report.
Mattias Eriksson Falk (SD)
Mr. Speaker! February 24, 2022, is a date that we should forever remember as the day Russia began its full-scale and illegal invasion of its closest neighbor - an independent and democratic Ukraine.
In a few days, it will be one and a half years since Russia launched the war and thus the devastation that the Ukrainians must live in, with thousands of lost human lives and terror-bombed cities, hospitals, and schools. The Russians' tactic is to strike at civilians and to leave behind a shattered country full of mines. The war crimes from the Russian side are countless.
The Swedish Riksdag has, in response to Russia's war, decided to support Ukraine both humanitarily as well as economically and militarily. To date, Sweden's support has amounted to a value of approximately 17 billion kronor. The support has consisted of both protective equipment as well as Stridsvagn 122, Stridsfordon 90 and the artillery system Archer, as well as equipment for mine clearing and other technical materiel.
The support from Sweden and the rest of the world is crucial for Ukraine's defense capability and the possibility of pushing back the Russian forces. Every day, Ukrainian soldiers fall in the fight to protect their country, their families, and civilians. But just as important is preventing the Russian desire to wipe out Ukraine as an independent nation. With great probability, the Swedish support, together with other support, contributes to reducing the number of fallen soldiers and civilians.
Mr. Speaker! It is pleasing that a unanimous Committee on Finance has decided to propose that the Riksdag send additional defense materiel to Ukraine. The new support package totals approximately 3.4 billion kronor. This means that Sweden's total support, including the support package we are discussing today, will amount to over 20 billion.
The new support package includes spare parts and ammunition for Stridsvagn 122, Stridsfordon 90, and the Archer artillery system. It is a matter of course that Sweden sends the parts needed to maintain and ensure the continued operation of the weapons systems we have previously sent to Ukraine. The package also contains much-needed mine-clearing equipment and transport vehicles. In addition to this, it also includes the sale of Robot 99 to the USA, which in turn will donate these to Ukraine as part of the air defense system.
The Sweden Democrats want to emphasize the importance of continued support for Ukraine so that they can defend their nation's right to exist and the possibility of protecting their people. During the debate on the previous support package, my party colleague Charlotte Quensel said that "Ukraine's war is Europe's war." I fully agree with this.
Europe has everything to gain from Ukrainian forces succeeding in forcing the Russians out of Ukraine and back into Russia. A scenario where Russia succeeds in its invasion is completely unthinkable.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I would like to move for approval of the Finance Committee's proposal in Report 32.
Hanna Gunnarsson (V)
Mr. Speaker! It is almost one and a half years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the terrible war began, this after years of occupation of Crimea. War always leads to casualties, shattered families, great devastation with bombed-out cities and infrastructure, many refugees and generations of children who will grow up with the consequences, the sorrow and the memories.
Russia's invasion, occupation and war is of course completely unacceptable. It violates everything international law stands for and must continue to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. The invasion is unprovoked, illegal and unjustifiable. The attack is a violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty and entails great human suffering for the Ukrainian people. It is therefore very important that the world continues and expands the economic sanctions against Russia, stops buying Russian oil and gas and puts even greater pressure on the oligarchs who hide and their assets outside Russia.
Putin's regime is also a threat to all those inhabitants who oppose the rule and who do not fit into the society that Putin wants to build. For Russian human rights activists, LGBTQ+ people, feminists, indigenous rights advocates, environmental movements, and the political opposition, the regime itself is a daily security threat.
During the time that the full-scale war has been ongoing, we have been forced to learn a lot and to understand the new, serious security policy development in Europe with an imperialistic Russia that is at war with its neighboring countries. For the Left Party, it has meant that we have realized that humanitarian, economic, and diplomatic support is not enough without also needing military interventions. The military support with weapons, ammunition, and training to Ukraine is required so that Russia's war does not succeed and so that Ukraine is not forced to give up either land or power to Russia. Being able to defend its borders and its own population is fundamental for Ukraine to be able to build up and strengthen its democracy and welfare for the population in the future.
Mr. Speaker! Sweden's support for Ukraine is, and must be, broad and long-term. Thousands of the millions of people who have been forced to flee from Ukraine have made their way to Sweden. They are struggling to manage in a new country, with all the uncertainty it entails when family and friends remain in the war in Ukraine. The economic situation of the Ukrainian refugees in Sweden is also very serious. They and many other refugees who are in our country have very little economic compensation to live on. Vänsterpartiet has many times demanded that the government should increase the compensation to make everyday life more bearable for refugees. It is also a way to support Ukraine and the Ukrainians' opportunities to later go back and rebuild their country. When the war is over, Sweden shall be an active party in the reconstruction of Ukraine, based on the direction that the Ukrainian population wants to see.
The same applies to our support for Moldova and Georgia, two countries that have also been affected by Russian imperialism and occupation. In Belarus, the dictatorship still rules, with a struggling opposition that is subjected to attacks and sentenced to long prison terms. Over the last year and a half, our contacts with these countries, or opposition groups, have intensified to support their struggle against Russian occupation, influence, and disinformation.
Mr. Speaker! The world is not as peaceful as we wish it to be. Wars and conflicts are taking place all around the world. People are fleeing for their lives, dictators are ravaging, and people live in oppression. It is incredibly important that Sweden is a strong voice in the world for peace, freedom, democracy, human rights, and equality.
The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for almost a year and a half. Vänsterpartiet supports the humanitarian, economic, and military aid that Sweden sends to Ukraine and condemns the Russian invasion and occupation. We therefore move for approval of the committee's proposal.
Kerstin Lundgren (C)
Mr. Speaker! Today is day 540. We continue counting. In a similar fashion, it is the 13th package that the Riksdag is deciding on.
During the time we are sitting here, I note air raid alerts over Poltava, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia. A number of cities have reported explosions. In Kyiv, it is now warned that explosive products and objects will be demolished.
During the time when many Swedes, I presume, watched the last episode of Allsång på Skansen on Tuesday evening, I noted that air raid sirens sounded throughout Ukraine for one and a half hours. Those are different conditions.
The war in Ukraine on our continent Europe continues every second, every minute, every hour, and every day. The Ukrainians fight for their freedom and the right to their land and their independence so that their children will not have to fight for their freedom once again in the future as they themselves are doing now. They are well aware that generations before those who are now fighting experienced the same threats and the same attacks.
The Russians are fighting to conquer, colonize, and exterminate Ukraine and so that Putin can build his empire. They are fighting to reconquer the empire and its vassal states. They are committing war crimes. They have a president who is wanted by the ICC and therefore cannot participate in the summit in South Africa during the coming days.
There is much to do to ensure that the international tribunal comes to fruition so that impunity does not prevail, not even for President Putin.
Mr. Speaker! The Ukrainians are also fighting for our freedom, our values, and our democracy. They are fighting to be able to choose to become members of the EU and in Nato. If they themselves so wish, they shall also be allowed to do so.
Mr. Speaker! When we are eventually going to gavel this decision in the chamber, I still think there are reasons for us to reflect on what conclusions we draw from having seen this ongoing for 540 days. What conclusions do we draw from the fact that this is the 13th package that is coming to fruition through a committee initiative? What conclusions do we draw from the fact that Ukraine is now once again the subject of many countries' discussions? Today we heard about Germany, where there is a desire for air defense capability. We know that discussions are ongoing regarding the F16 and also that the question of the Jas Gripen is current.
One could imagine that committee initiatives and this speed are required for security reasons so that Ukraine is not subjected to particular pressure or threats when decisions such as these are made. But, Mr. Speaker, that is lost in this situation when the general discussion can be read and followed day by day in the Kremlin, which can thereby contribute with its disinformation and spread images. They see what is happening and the discussion that is ongoing - who is for and who is against - and where there are opportunities and areas to act on.
There are therefore reasons for us to consider whether we need to work in this way. We have, as we have said, delivered - approximately 17 billion militarily - and we know, of course, that it is being used. That is why we have delivered. We also know from our own experience that when something has been used, spare parts and replacements are needed.
Mr. Speaker! For me and the Center Party, it is still a bit strange that we do not manage to stay a step ahead and have a planning to ensure the continuity required for Ukraine to be able to show that one has perseverance and long-term vision. Such a thing sends a clear signal to the Kremlin: One does not need to go with one's hat in hand to other countries to request or ask for anything, but here there is the strength and perseverance to act on the battlefield to win peace. That is where we want to get to, that is to say that Ukraine shall win peace.
After the Riksdag has made its decision - we stand fully behind the proposal, Mr. Speaker - we all need to consider if we can do this here in a smarter way in Sweden but also in dialogue with our friends to ensure that Ukraine reaches the goal of winning peace and striking back against the Russian attacks that have hit Ukraine and the Ukrainian people so hard, not least the children.
Yusuf Aydin (KD)
Mr. Speaker! In one week, it will be exactly one and a half years since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia's full-scale and despicable war has caused great human suffering and enormous destruction. At the same time, one must look with admiration at the will and the courage that all Ukrainians have since fought with, day and night, to defend their freedom and independence.
Support for Ukraine is both morally right and necessary. It is about decency and humanity. Ukraine is fighting not only for its own survival and freedom but also for our and Europe's common security.
Sweden has taken a great responsibility to support Ukraine. We have already sent twelve military aid packages there. The total amount before today's package corresponds to approximately 17 billion kronor. In addition to that, Sweden also contributes extensive humanitarian, economic, and political support. In July, Sweden and Ukraine signed agreements to increase the possibilities to directly procure materiel from the Swedish defense industry, which increases the long-term nature of the military support.
Mr. Speaker! Today we are to make another important decision, a decision regarding the 13th military support package which includes ammunition, spare parts and other defense materiel to a value of approximately 3.4 billion kronor. In total, this means 13 military support packages to a value of just over 20 billion kronor.
It is important and necessary to continue supporting Ukraine as long as it is required, but at all times adapt the support to Ukraine's needs. This support package therefore aims to create the conditions to continue using defense materiel already transferred from Sweden.
Mr. Speaker! Russia gravely underestimated Ukraine's military, political, and societal resilience, as well as the West's cohesion and will to support Ukraine and inflict economic damage on Russia through various sanctions. The collective support is extremely important for Ukraine to win peace.
In addition to today's important decision, the EU has continued to show an important, clear and decisive commitment but also perseverance. During the Swedish presidency, Sweden has maintained the unity in Europe and united the EU's 27 countries behind several sanction packages against Russia. The EU has agreed to deliver one million artillery shells to Ukraine, taken the initiative that frozen Russian assets shall finance Ukraine's reconstruction, and negotiated a tribunal to investigate and prosecute Russia's war crimes. These have been important successes for the Swedish presidency.
The Christian Democrats have since the war began been clear in our unwavering support for Ukraine. We are therefore proud that the Riksdag, with today's decision, which is passed unanimously, shows that Sweden continues its clear stance not to hesitate in supporting the Ukrainian women and men who, with their lives at stake, defend their country and their freedom. We stand up for Ukraine not only in word and thought but also in action and weapons, for peace and freedom.
In conclusion, I would like to extend a big thank you to the Speaker and the Committee on Finance with its members, under the leadership of Chairman Edward Riedl, and its secretariat for the prompt handling of today's matter.
Annika Hirvonen (MP)
Mr. Speaker! The author Anna Takanen writes in her book *Sörjen* that it takes four generations before a war leaves a family. Those words echoed in me on February 24, 2022, when I stood at a quickly organized demonstration against Russia's attack and war against Ukraine.
It takes four generations. I am a child of the fourth generation of men who fought Russia's invasion and attempts to make Finland a part of Russia. It is now around 80 years ago.
War is bombs that tear apart houses, roads and bridges. War also tears apart people. Those wounds are from the rapes and from the battlefields. Those wounds are in the children who do not get their fathers or mothers back. Those wounds are inherited.
To take into account the consequences for millions of Ukrainians here and now and in what lies ahead of us is immense. It is about the children who get their parents back and meet the gaze of a father who has seen hell.
It is for them that we have gathered in the Riksdag today to resist Russia. It wants to use its power to destroy people's lives and freedom.
I traveled to Poland to see how the reception of refugees from Ukraine was going. On the journey home, I shared a ferry with a Ukrainian family. It was a grandmother, a mother, and four little girls.
A fully loaded luggage cart was moving on the ferry in Gdansk, and the youngest girl sat on the handle. She laughed so much that it bubbled over as it rocked on the loading dock. That laughter I carry with me. So I think that children should be allowed to laugh, fearless, untouched, and safe. It is for those children that we must continue the struggle.
Mr. Speaker! It is not only for the children in Ukraine and the Ukrainian people that we make the decisions today. It is also for what Russia and Putin have said. He wants to return to the Russian Empire.
If it turns out that Russia is right, that the strong can take what they want, more states are threatened and, fundamentally, the international law that gives every nation the right to decide its own future is threatened. Sweden must continue to defend it.
Mr. Speaker! I therefore move for approval of the committee's proposal, which is unanimous. We agree on much, and that is a strength. I also want to ask the members who have taken the time today to participate in this important debate to reflect on further issues where more needs to be done.
We in Miljöpartiet have long observed that large amounts are paid to Russia when Sweden and other European countries continue to purchase Russian fossil energy, oil and gas. We must put an end to the flow of money to Putin's war chest.
Mr. Speaker! The children and women who have moved to our country are very grateful for the security they have received here. But I have also met a female doctor at the Red Cross help center who described to me how she tried to make 100 kronor stretch. She tried to ensure there was something other than boiled potatoes to serve the five-year-old. They live here on subsistence minimum. We must manage to do better for them as well.
Anna Starbrink (L)
Mr. Speaker! Next week marks 18 months since Russia launched its unprovoked, unjust war of aggression against Ukraine. There has been so much suffering, so many injured, and so much death.
The battle that Ukraine is now fighting is a struggle for its country's freedom and its independence. At the same time, it is a struggle for Europe's freedom and also our own. That struggle must be won by Ukraine. Ukraine must win the war and win peace. It is possible. We must believe that. But it is only possible if the rest of the world continues to provide comprehensive military, humanitarian, and political support.
It is a strength that the international cohesion in the support for Ukraine remains strong and that we in the Swedish Riksdag today stand completely united in our long-term will to act to continue sending weapons and other materiel to Ukraine.
Today, it is the 13th support package that is on the agenda. This time, the value of the support package amounts to 3.4 billion. Altogether, we are well up to over 20 billion. Spare parts, ammunition, mine-clearing equipment, transport vehicles, etc. are in the package, and these are necessary additions to the Ukrainian defense.
Sweden's support for Ukraine should, of course, be seen as an act of solidarity for the Ukrainian people and their right to shape their own future. And in what a fantastic way they manage to conduct their defense! What skill, what innovative power, and what enormous will!
But of course, there are also great losses, damage, and death. Our hearts bleed for the Ukrainian people. That is why our support is so important. But it is also important as a strategic lead in asserting Europe's and our own freedom and our peace.
Mr. Speaker! Russia has evil intentions. Putin's ambitions extend far beyond Ukraine. The rest of the world has many times misjudged Russia's intentions. Perhaps we have wished for it. We wanted so much to believe in peace, democracy, and freedom in Europe and that it was won once and for all, even for the Russian people. But it is clear, as our defense preparation states, that Russia has for a long time considered itself to be in conflict with the entire Western world.
The development in Russia is moving in a neo-Stalinist direction. We see clear examples of this, with long prison sentences for criticism of the regime and with various abuses and persecutions, for example, deportations from Ukraine. The state's ideology and superior approach are based on the idea of Russia's uniqueness. The overarching threat is from the West, and what is emphasized as central are the Russian traditions, which stand in sharp contrast to the free, liberal order that we live in and want to defend.
It is these values that we must defend against. Today, it is Ukraine that is fighting for its country and its freedom and at the same time for our freedom.
The support package that we are deciding on today is, as said, one of many, but I fear that it is not the last. Sweden and the rest of the world must continue to support Ukraine, and we must never give up. We must stick together.
But it is not enough to send weapons. For our support packages to truly have the significance that I believe we all desire, we must do much more. We must support Ukraine politically and humanitarily. We must push for Ukraine's membership in the EU and ensure that Ukraine is invited to participate in the EU's defense cooperation Pesco already now. We should also, when we ourselves one day become members of Nato, welcome Ukraine as an ally.
The war criminals in Russia must be brought to justice in The Hague. A tribunal will be of great significance.
The reconstruction of the country is not something that lies far in the future, when the war is over. The reconstruction must take place all the time, here and now. It is about the people who live their daily lives in Ukraine and are constantly subjected to these abuses and attacks from Russia. Sweden must contribute in various ways there.
I have understood that there is much we can contribute to, not least within the healthcare area. There is a high level of competence in Sweden when it comes to, among other things, the rehabilitation of injured people.
Mr. Speaker! Let me conclude by thanking all parties in the Swedish Riksdag for that we so united and agreed in word and deed show our unanimous and very concrete support for Ukraine. I move for approval of the Finance Committee's proposal.
The deliberation was hereby concluded.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.