STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday that he did not consider buying U.S. weapons a security risk, though he added that it might be good for Europe to become somewhat less dependent on Washington for arms and other defence equipment.
Fellow NATO member Canada has said it relies too much on the United States for security, ordering a review of its contract to buy fighter jets from Lockheed Martin amid a trade war with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Arriving at a European Union summit in Brussels amid differences over how to boost Ukrainian and EU military capabilities, Kristersson was asked by reporters whether buying U.S.-produced arms could pose a risk to security.
“No, I would not say that at all. We have good experiences from cooperation with the U.S. defence industry,” he said.
Kristersson also told reporters he believes the European defence industry needs to become stronger.
“Both the Swedish defence industry and many European countries would do well from being a little less dependent on the U.S. defence industry,” he said.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas in Brussels called on leaders to match words of support for Kyiv with deeds, as Trump pushes ahead with his efforts to end the war, including through a rapprochement with Russia.
Washington this month briefly cut off intelligence sharing and weapons shipments to Ukraine, raising questions about the potential perils of becoming too dependent on U.S. systems.
(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom, editing by Terje Solsvik, Kirsten Donovan)
