The Swedish Ministry of Defense purchases from the US the Patriot missile defense system, which fully meets the national requirements, the “Izvestia” newspaper reports with reference to the Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist.
According to the information, the contract is planned to be signed before the end of the week. The transaction value is estimated at $ 1.14 billion.
Hultqvist confirmed the intention of the parties to sign the contract in the coming days, but refused to name its exact cost. At the same time, he noted that the purchased complexes, in fact, are a more modern analogue of those that are for a long time in the arsenal of the Swedish air defense forces.
According to him, the American Patriot system has proved its effectiveness in action and fully meets the national requirements.
The first deliveries are expected already in 2021, the minister added.
Recall, Sweden is not a member of NATO, but is a non-aligned partner of the alliance countries. As local mass media noted, in addition to taking a decision on the purchase of “Patriots”, the Swedish military department is actively preparing to participate in the NATO military exercise “United Trident-2018”, which will be held in the autumn on the territory of Norway and in adjacent maritime areas.
In July, Vladimir Putin said that Russia would respond proportionally to the attempts of NATO countries to draw into their ranks new European states. According to him, the alliance should think about the possible consequences of such policy.
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