Latest news with #PalJonson
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Sweden on Track Toward 5% NATO Target, Defense Minister Says
Sweden is on track to increase military spending in line with goals that are expected to be agreed at NATO's upcoming summit in the Hague, the Nordic country's defense minister said. 'We have a trajectory going up to 3.5% for pure military expenditures, and then 1.5% for military related defense expenditure. So all in all, 5%, Pal Jonson told Bloomberg on Saturday. 'We stand ready to shoulder the responsibility.'
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colombia to buy Swedish fighter jets to replace aging Israeli aircraft
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia said Thursday it will buy up to 24 fighter jets from Swedish company Saab to replace aging Israeli aircraft whose maintenance has become complicated after the South American nation broke diplomatic ties with Israel over its war with Hamas. Colombia's Aerospace Force chief commander, Carlos Fernando Silva, said Thursday they are still working on the details of the contract with Saab, so in the end the number of planes could be less than 24. Sweden's Defense Minister Pal Jonson confirmed on X that negotiations are under way. Colombia has 22 Israeli-made Kfir fighter jets purchased in the late 1980s, and any maintenance can only be done by an Israeli firm. Those aircrafts were used in several attacks on remote guerrilla camps that debilitated the then-Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The offensives helped push the rebel group into peace talks that resulted in its disarmament in 2016. Although the new purchase plans were announced amid a lack of diplomatic relations with Israel, the last three governments in Colombia already had cited intentions to replace the Kfir jets. The administration of current President Gustavo Petro started reviewing specific offers from countries like France, the United States and Sweden. The Aerospace Force chief commander said that the Kfir planes will continue to operate for now. Once the new contract is finalized, the old planes will be replaced as the new ones arrive. The Swedish ambassador to Colombia, Helena Storm, said that this announcement shows the good bilateral relations between the two countries. Colombia announced in 2024 that it was breaking diplomatic relations with Israel over the Israel-Hamas war, as part of an escalation of tensions between the governments. Petro has described Israel's siege of Gaza as 'genocide.'
Associated Press
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Colombia to buy Swedish fighter jets to replace aging Israeli aircraft
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia said Thursday it will buy up to 24 fighter jets from Swedish company Saab to replace aging Israeli aircraft whose maintenance has become complicated after the South American nation broke diplomatic ties with Israel over its war with Hamas. Colombia's Aerospace Force chief commander, Carlos Fernando Silva, said Thursday they are still working on the details of the contract with Saab, so in the end the number of planes could be less than 24. Sweden's Defense Minister Pal Jonson confirmed on X that negotiations are under way. Colombia has 22 Israeli-made Kfir fighter jets purchased in the late 1980s, and any maintenance can only be done by an Israeli firm. Those aircrafts were used in several attacks on remote guerrilla camps that debilitated the then-Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The offensives helped push the rebel group into peace talks that resulted in its disarmament in 2016. Although the new purchase plans were announced amid a lack of diplomatic relations with Israel, the last three governments in Colombia already had cited intentions to replace the Kfir jets. The administration of current President Gustavo Petro started reviewing specific offers from countries like France, the United States and Sweden. The Aerospace Force chief commander said that the Kfir planes will continue to operate for now. Once the new contract is finalized, the old planes will be replaced as the new ones arrive. The Swedish ambassador to Colombia, Helena Storm, said that this announcement shows the good bilateral relations between the two countries. Colombia announced in 2024 that it was breaking diplomatic relations with Israel over the Israel-Hamas war, as part of an escalation of tensions between the governments. Petro has described Israel's siege of Gaza as 'genocide.'
LBCI
31-03-2025
- Business
- LBCI
Sweden pledges additional $1.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine
Sweden will donate 16 billion kronor ($1.6 billion) in military aid to Ukraine, the government said on Monday -- the largest military aid package from the Nordic country since Russia's 2022 invasion. "The aid package we are presenting today is the largest so far that we will have donated to Ukraine. We want to send the message now that we are both intensifying our support and increasing its strength and scope," Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson told reporters. AFP
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sweden unveils its largest military aid package for Ukraine worth nearly $1.6 billion
Sweden will provide Ukraine with a military aid package worth almost $1.6 billion, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson announced on March 31. The latest package is Sweden's largest tranche of military assistance since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, according to Jonson. "The package includes, among other things, support for Ukraine's air defense, artillery, satellite communications, and maritime capacity," the minister said on X. With this package, Sweden's support to Ukraine since 2022 amounts to 80 billion Swedish kronor ($8 billion), the country's government said. This assistance has included Archer self-propelled howitzers, Strv 122 tanks, and CV90 infantry fighting vehicles. The latest package includes $912 million worth of equipment that will be procured from the Swedish defense industry and delivered to Ukraine in the span of "about 0-24 months." It also encompasses a $465 million donation to international multilateral initiatives, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, and purchases from the Ukrainian defense industry. Kyiv will further receive material and spare parts from the Swedish Armed Forces worth about $93 million, including m/58 machine guns, ammunition, roughly 100 vehicles of various types for air base maintenance, and other support. Stockholm is also allocating $46 million for an export guarantee to supplement procurement for donations to Ukraine, ensuring more Swedish companies can support Kyiv by providing requested material. Finally, the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration, a state military procurement agency, "will also be tasked with identifying, testing and funding military solutions from small tech companies that need to be verified or scaled up for military purposes in Ukraine," Jonson said. The package comes as European countries seek to bolster support for Ukraine as future backing from the U.S., the leading military donor, grows increasingly uncertain under President Donald Trump. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Putin will have nothing to say at peace negotiations, Zelensky says We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
