German Chancellor arrives in Sweden for Nordic Security Summit

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Sweden on Monday for a two-day visit, during which he will meet with his counterparts from the Nordic countries to discuss security and economic competitiveness issues, according to the Swedish government.

Scholz is scheduled to visit Ericsson, a telecommunications equipment manufacturing company headquartered in the northern suburbs of Stockholm, on Monday afternoon along with the prime ministers of Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden.

The government announced in a statement that they would "discuss security policy issues such as hybrid threats, civil preparedness, and new technologies," with a press conference scheduled for 15:55 GMT.

The government stated, "During the evening dinner, discussions will focus on continuing support for Ukraine," at a time when the Ukrainian army is retreating in the face of Russian forces in the Kharkiv region (northeast).

The Nordic countries and Germany have been among the main supporters of Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022, with Berlin being the second-largest donor in the world (totaling 14.5 billion euros in aid) according to the Kiel Institute.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated Monday in an article in the economic newspaper "Dagens Industri" that "security policy and the upcoming NATO summit are at the top of the agenda."

He added that "issues related to economic competitiveness" are also on the agenda, emphasizing that "the Nordic region wants to play a leading role in efforts to strengthen the European economy."

AFP