– On a day when everyone turns their gaze westward, it feels symbolically important to be present in Kyiv and manifest Sweden's unwavering focus eastward. We stand by Ukraine's side and will continue to do so, writes Carl-Oskar Bohlin on X (formerly X), and continues:
– At today's meeting with Interior Minister Klymenko, a directive document was also signed on deepened cooperation between Sweden and Ukraine in a range of areas for civil defence.
The declaration of intent was signed by Sweden's Minister for Civil Defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, and Ukraine's Interior Minister, marking a deepened bilateral cooperation in areas such as secure supply chains and protection of critical societal functions.
As part of the agreement, the Coast Guard is tasked with cooperating with its Ukrainian counterpart, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, to exchange experiences and methods in civil maritime security, as well as for joint projects and training initiatives. MSB is also assigned a similar task towards Ukraine's State Emergency Service (SESU), focusing on civil protection, resilience, and protection of critical societal functions.
At the signing, a civil support package from Sweden was also presented, where MSB is tasked with procuring 40,000 protective masks with accompanying filters and donating them to Ukraine, as well as two environmental protection vessels, 24 passenger cars, a van, a heavy truck, and protective equipment from the Coast Guard. The donation is financed within the three-year Ukraine framework totalling 75 billion SEK.
It is not clear which vessels are to be donated, but Ystad Allehanda reported this summer that the Coast Guard's two environmental protection vessels in the KBV 047 series (see image) are up for sale.