The Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, promised, on Wednesday 11 January at a meeting in Stockholm with European journalists, including EUROPE, that Ukraine would be the ‘top, top priority’ of the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. According to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tobias Billström, the war in Ukraine will indeed “influence all aspects” of this Presidency.
“When the world is under threat, the EU rises to the occasion. We will maintain EU support in all areas. The Ukrainian victory is also existential for Europe”, said Mr Kristersson, adding that unity between the EU and the US remained the “best asset”.
To help Ukraine, Mr Billström also called for new sanctions against the Russian aggressor. “Together with the EU’s support for Ukraine, sanctions are the best tools to help Ukraine win the war”, he said, eager to “continue to explore how to increase pressure on Russia”.
A Swedish government source said that part of the Russian industrial sector was not yet subject to sanctions and that there were gaps in the measures in place for manufacturing equipment.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs also explained that, in addition to the adoption of new restrictive measures, the effective and consistent implementation of the sanctions already adopted, as well as the prevention of their circumvention, were other priorities of the Swedish Presidency.
Asked about Sweden’s military support for Ukraine, Mr Kristersson confirmed that his country wanted to do more. “Support is necessary, the support needs to continue to the level it has. It will probably need even more to be able to win the war”, confirmed the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, Micael Byden.
In addition to material aid, the Swedish Defence Minister, Pal Jonson, noted that 15 Swedes are participating in the EU Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine (EUMAM), a number that is expected to increase.
EU accession: Ukraine’s reforms moving in the right direction
Asked about Ukraine’s EU accession process, Mr Billström welcomed the ongoing reform process in the country, despite the war.
The Commission is due to publish a progress report on reforms in the spring to enable Member States to judge whether the country has made enough progress to open accession negotiations. “Ukraine must be given credit for its efforts during the war to promote the path to the EU”, Mr Billström said.
However, he did not respond to the possibility for Kyiv to open its accession negotiations under the Swedish Presidency.
In Brussels, at an online conference organised by the European Policy Centre think tank, Ukraine’s Minister for European Integration, Olga Stefanishyna, explained that her country saw the EU accession process as “a preparation for Ukraine after the victory”. “We need to be prepared, our country should be a competitive, strong and reliable member of the EU”, she stressed.
According to Ms Stefanishyna, although progress has been made in the fight against corruption and money laundering and in reforming the Penal Code, derogations will be necessary if the country enters into accession negotiations because of the war, especially regarding climate and environmental policies.
Investing in EU security
Furthermore, the Swedish Foreign Minister considered that support for Ukraine was also an investment in the EU’s security environment. “The EU has no choice but to become a stronger and more coherent geopolitical actor and to take responsibility for European security”, he said.
His defence counterpart added that the war in Russia and the defence of Ukrainian sovereignty would define the EU’s security policy issues for the next few years.
Mr Billström recalled that his country’s accession to NATO - underway, but still awaiting Hungarian and Turkish ratification - as well as the increase in military spending - the aim is to reach 2% by 2026 - were “direct consequences of the new geopolitical context”.
Pal Jonson said that continued political and military integration, so that Sweden becomes a full member of NATO, was a top priority for his government.
According to the Supreme Commander, Sweden will be ready from day one of its membership of NATO and could, among other things, quickly take part in air policing, enhanced presence and air defence. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with Léa Marchal)