Sweden Calls for More Ukraine Aid Ahead of ‘Extremely Difficult Winter’

Sweden is urging EU countries to increase their direct support for Ukraine before what it expects to be an “extremely difficult winter,” with its defense minister suggesting that loan funds planned for 2027 could be released early.

“We are open to any creative solutions,” Defense Minister Pål Jonson told reporters ahead of an EU defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Monday, Sept. 28, according to Ukrinform.

Bringing forward the planned funds could help Ukraine secure as much financing as possible before winter, he said.

Jonson added that an EU loan would not replace aid provided directly by member states. He called for a fairer sharing of the burden, saying the Nordic countries, Germany, and the Netherlands currently provide the most assistance and that other EU members should do more on a bilateral basis.

Supporting Ukraine is also an investment in Europe’s own security. He added that Russian hybrid attacks would not deter the EU from continuing its assistance and called for additional sanctions, new visa restrictions, and stronger action against Russia’s shadow fleet. He also urged national governments to communicate more clearly about the threat posed by such attacks.

The ministers’ meeting was scheduled to focus on military support for Ukraine, including air defense and efforts to counter the shadow fleet, with hybrid threats also on the agenda.

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Ukraine Hits 4 Russian Oil Depots, 2 Defense Plants in Massive Overnight Strikes

Zelensky said Ukrainian long-range weapons struck defense facilities in Tula and Voronezh, while Russia reported 254 drones overnight.

Ukraine could face its most grueling winter since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 due to systematic and expanding aerial bombardments targeting civilian and energy infrastructure, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Alexander De Croo said earlier in September.

Speaking to the broadcaster, De Croo said Ukraine is entering the cold season from a “very weak position” as Russian strikes continue to pound the power grid, fuel distribution networks, and commercial centers across the country.

“This includes gas stations, shopping malls, and business centers, but above all, energy infrastructure, transmission lines, and similar assets. There is absolutely no justification for this,” De Croo stated, emphasizing that the UN remains deeply concerned about the potential humanitarian consequences as temperatures drop.

De Croo cautioned that extensive destruction of heating plants, electricity networks, and municipal utilities could disrupt water supply, heating systems, and sewage networks in sub-zero weather.

He noted that if temperatures drop toward -20 degrees Celsius, the compounding damage to municipal life-support systems would create conditions bordering on a humanitarian catastrophe.

The UN official described current recovery efforts as an urgent “race against time” to repair battered power plants and distribution substations before freezing weather sets in.