STOCKHOLM, Aug 31 (Reuters) – Sweden signed an order for four Naval Group frigates during a ceremony in Stockholm on Monday attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Sweden, NATO’s newest member, is racing to build up its military strength after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 prompted the country to abandon its long-held policy of neutrality.
European governments more generally have increased defence spending in response to pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump and increased doubt they can rely on U.S. support.
“France and Sweden in the European Union and in NATO show that European sovereignty is being built together,” Macron said.
He said Sweden’s order “strengthens the industrial and technological basis of European defence at a time when Europeans must take greater responsibility for their own security and consolidate NATO’s European pillar.”
In May, Sweden said it would order the vessels from the French company in a $4 billion deal that will triple its air defence capacity.
The first of the four new frigates, which will be the Swedish navy’s biggest ships, is expected to be delivered in 2030.
(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom, additional reporting by Michel Rose and Dominique Vidalon in Paris, editing by Terje Solsvik and Barbara Lewis)
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