MILAN — The two Nordic countries have signed a joint declaration to send additional combat vehicles to Ukraine in their latest show of support for the embattled country, as another year of repelling Russian forces will soon draw to a close.
The letter of intent, signed on Dec. 18, “means that Denmark and Sweden will use the industrial capability to ensure [additional] deliveries of newly produced Combat Vehicle 90 to Ukraine,” the Swedish defense ministry said in a statement.
“The CV90 has been, and is, a significant addition to Ukraine’s defense since Sweden donated 50 earlier this year,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson stated.
It follows the signature of an earlier agreement between Stockholm and Kyiv in August, which vowed to increase cooperation between the two allies around the production and servicing of the infantry fighting vehicles.
At the time, the deal was believed to be a first step towards establishing the joint manufacturing of CV90s in Ukraine, although Swedish executives have never commented on plans to that effect.
Under the latest accord, the Danish government is to initially contribute $264 million, and Stockholm will then proceed with the order and acquisition of the infantry fighting vehicle produced by BAE-Systems Hägglunds.
Neither the specific number of vehicles nor the timeline for deliveries were disclosed.
Recent CV90 orders were placed by Slovakia, with a purchase of 152 vehicles for $1,37 billion, as well as the Czech Republic, which acquired 246 of the rides for $2,2 billion. While the overall components of the deals were not made public, in both of these cases the average price tag attached to a single CV90 would be roughly $9 million.
In September, the Danish ministry of defense announced that it would provide military aid to Ukraine worth $833 million, with the full amount distributed over the course of three years. The package is said to include tanks, IFVs, tank ammunition and anti-aircraft guns.
Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.
