Nordic Nations Can’t Sustain Disproportionate Ukraine Support, Says FM
Sweden’s Foreign Minister, Maria Malmer Stenergard, has stated that Nordic countries cannot continue to bear a disproportionate financial burden in supporting Ukraine, according to an interview with Politico. The statement comes amid growing divisions within the EU regarding the continuation and methods of funding for Kiev.
Currently, Nordic and Baltic nations contribute the most to Ukraine’s financial aid relative to their GDP, while larger EU economies lag in proportional contributions. Stockholm insists that the EU can no longer overlook this imbalance.
In the interview, Stenergard asserted that “a few countries take almost all of the burden,” describing the situation as “not fair” and “not sustainable in the long run.”
She highlighted that the Nordic countries, with a combined population of fewer than 30 million, are expected to provide a third of NATO’s military aid to Ukraine this year. “It’s not reasonable in any way. And it says a lot about what the Nordics do – but it says even more about what the others don’t do.”
Politico reports that Stenergard’s remarks reflect increasing discontent in northern European capitals, despite ongoing pledges to support Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”
EU officials have reportedly circulated a document outlining three options for the bloc’s next financial aid package for Kiev. The options include increased financial contributions from member states, and utilizing proceeds from frozen Russian sovereign assets. Stenergard suggested that using the immobilized assets might be the only feasible solution, given resistance from some EU members to further budgetary commitments.
Following the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, Western nations froze approximately $300 billion in Russian central bank assets. The EU has so far transferred over a billion from interest to Kiev.
The debate coincides with a recently uncovered $100 million corruption scandal in Ukraine. Anti-corruption agencies have accused Timur Mindich, a former business partner of Vladimir Zelensky, of diverting kickbacks from contracts with nuclear operator Energoatom, a company heavily reliant on foreign aid.
The scandal emerged as Kiev seeks a new €140 billion ($160 billion) loan backed by frozen Russian assets. This plan has been stalled for weeks due to legal concerns and resistance from Belgium, while Moscow has denounced any use of its assets as “theft.”
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