The Swedish Government announces that continued Swedish support to Ukraine is at the top of the foreign policy priority list.
– For Sweden, support for Ukraine is not just a moral duty, but an investment in Europe’s and our own security, independence and freedom, says Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard (M).
On Wednesday, the Minister for Foreign Affairs presented the Government’s foreign policy declaration for the coming year and the foreign policy priorities that are considered most important to focus on.
– This year’s foreign policy declaration is being presented at a difficult time in terms of security policy. We – Sweden, the EU and NATO – are in a long-term and far-reaching confrontation with Russia. Russia will continue to pose a serious threat to security in Europe, regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine, the minister warned.
– Our task is inescapable: we will counter Russia’s ability to do us harm, not least by supporting Ukraine, Malmer Stenergard promises.
The center-right government states that “support for Ukraine is the government’s primary foreign policy task” and that more than SEK 70 billion (€6 billion) has been pumped into the project so far.
“Gender equality” – a key issue
In addition to this, there will also be a focus on various initiatives at NATO and EU level – strengthening “resilience against attempts to destabilize our societies such as cyber attacks, disinformation and sabotage of critical infrastructure”, it says.
In particular, the Foreign Minister emphasizes that “gender equality” is a fundamental core value of Swedish foreign policy and promises to invest in promoting it in 2025.
– In 2025, Sweden will chair the Executive Board of UN Women. As Chair, we will drive global gender equality work forward and emphasize the importance of women’s economic empowerment.
