French president in Sweden for €4.3 billion frigate deal

French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Stockholm, where he and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will attend the signing of a multi-billion-euro contract for the delivery of four French FDI-class frigates.

The deal is worth €4.3 billion, with the first vessel scheduled to be delivered to Sweden in 2030, Caliber.Az reports, citing French media.

The contract will be signed aboard the new French frigate Amiral Ronarc'h.

The 122-meter-long, 4,500-ton vessels are designed to counter surface, air, submarine, asymmetric and cyber threats.

As part of efforts to strengthen defence cooperation, France previously ordered two GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft from Swedish company Saab for more than €1 billion. Paris will also join NATO’s forward land forces in Finland under Swedish command.

Sweden has also joined a French initiative to deepen European nuclear deterrence.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov