(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Kristersson said this in an interview with ERR, according to Ukrinform.

According to Kristersson, on the early morning of February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he, then the opposition leader, was on a visit to Finland. He became Sweden's prime minister eight months later.

The evening before, he had met with then Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and then opposition leader Petteri Orpo, who is now Finland's prime minister.

"And we all discussed the obvious potential risk for a full-scale attack. Of course, we did not know at the time that the attack would occur just a few hours later. So I woke up very, very early that morning because my phone rang and Stockholm contacted me, so I went back very, very rapidly," Kristersson said.

After that, according to him, Sweden began providing all possible assistance to Ukraine.

"One of the first decisions we made in Sweden was obviously to deploy and give away weapons to Ukraine, for the first time in modern history. From the start of the war, we have given away – mainly in terms of military equipment – corresponding to a sum of EUR 10 billion. And we don't see any limits to that. We continue our support... We have total unity in parliament," Kristersson said.

He added that Sweden has also learned a great deal from Ukraine.

"Sweden's defense industry has been very, very actively in learning from Ukrainians' experiences with drones, drone defense, rapid technological development, and civil defense activities," he said.

When asked whether Ukraine remains the top issue in Sweden or if events in the Gaza Strip have overshadowed it, Kristersson replied: "With no doubt, it's the situation in Ukraine. You can't even compare them. Even though, of course, there are minorities who may focus more on the situation in the Middle East."

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When asked whether Swedes are ready to fight for their country in the event of war, he answered: "Absolutely, yes. We have a very strong willingness to defend the motherland without any doubt."

As Ukrinform reported, as of September 2025, the Swedish government had delivered 20 aid packages to Ukraine.

Ukraine and Sweden have also signed a Letter of Intent concerning Defense Innovation Partnership, opening new opportunities for the development of Ukraine's defense industry.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

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