Sweden has joined the international demining coalition, providing financial support to Ukraine to speed up the demining of large areas. About this informed Minister of Defense of Lithuania.
The memorandum of understanding signed by Sweden added powerful new support to the coalition already led by Lithuania and Iceland.
The Swedish government has also promised to contribute 5 million euros, which will be a significant help for clearing Ukrainian territories of explosive devices.
Currently, the demining coalition includes about 30 countries that actively provide financial and material assistance to Ukraine. In addition to funding, states transfer specialized equipment to detect and defuse mines – both anti-personnel and anti-tank, as well as other explosive devices.
Today, more than 26% of the territory of Ukraine needs demining due to the high density of mining. Sweden, by joining the coalition, will strengthen the capacity of this international initiative, allowing to organize more efficient deliveries of the necessary equipment.
It is worth reminding that the first meeting of representatives of the coalition countries took place in January 2024. At that time, the Director of the Defense Policy Department of Lithuania, Vaidotas Urbelis, emphasized the importance of clarifying Ukraine’s needs in mine action and determining the specific contribution of each partner country.
The coalition is focused on humanitarian demining of liberated areas, as well as demining along the contact line. For this purpose, a special fund is created to finance the purchase of equipment and means for demining.
