Sweden leads Nordic $500 million pledge for US air defences to Ukraine

On August 5, the Norwegian government announced that Sweden, Norway, and Denmark will jointly contribute approximately 5 billion Norwegian crowns ($486 million) toward a NATO-led initiative aimed at providing US-made weapons to Ukraine.

The plan follows a recent declaration by US President Donald Trump, who stated that Washington would supply American weapons to Kyiv, but that the cost would be covered by European allies. Trump, however, did not specify the mechanism for such an arrangement.

As part of the pledge, Sweden revealed that its contribution — which includes Patriot missile systems, other air defence platforms, and anti-tank munitions — would amount to $275 million.

"The continued supply of this type of American defence equipment, which Europe cannot provide in sufficient volume, is critical to Ukraine’s defensive strength," Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch said during a press conference on August 5.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed appreciation to the three Nordic nations for their prompt commitment to the new funding package.

The weapons support falls under the framework of NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative. The program, coordinated by NATO and financed by European member states and Canada, will deliver support in tranches of roughly $500 million.

On August 4, the Netherlands became the first country to confirm participation in PURL, pledging 500 million euros to the program.

According to official data published on the Swedish government’s website, Sweden had already committed 92.8 billion Swedish crowns in aid to Ukraine by the end of March 2025.

By Tamilla Hasanova