Germany, Nordic nations pledge Ukraine aid 'for as long as it takes'

As Russia's offensive in north-eastern Ukraine escalates, Germany and the Nordic countries affirmed their commitment to bolster arms support for Ukraine during talks held in Sweden on Monday.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz joined the prime ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway for discussions in Stockholm.

Scholz said, "We stand united in our support for Ukraine in its defence against the ongoing Russian aggression. We will continue to provide our support to Ukraine for as long as it takes."

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the situation on the battlefield was critical, emphasizing the need for swift action from the West to prevent a situation like Mariupol from occurring in Kharkiv.

Mariupol is a Russian-occupied port city in south-eastern Ukraine which was destroyed and seize in the first months of the war in 2022.

A few days ago, Russian troops launched an offensive in the region around Kharkiv and are putting massive pressure on the Ukrainian armed forces there.

Earlier on Monday, the Ukrainian military conceded that Russian forces are making progress in their offensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region.

Despite the discussions in Stockholm, no specific new commitments, such as Patriot missile systems, were announced.

The German government is actively seeking to arrange additional Patriot systems for Ukraine, having recently supplied an additional unit, bringing the total to three.

However, six to seven more are still urgently needed. Besides Germany, six other EU nations possess these US-made air defence systems, including Sweden, which currently operates four.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine more than two years ago, Germany has provided or promised to provide Kiev with military aid worth €28 billion ($30.2 billion), Scholz said.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson refrained from outlining his country's future support commitments, noting, "We have already taken over parts of the air defence and will continue to do so. How exactly and to what extent will be announced at a later date."

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized the critical importance of aid for Ukraine, characterizing the pressure on the country as unbearable.

"We must continue to support Ukraine so that it can defend itself and the rest of Europe," Frederiksen said.

The prime ministers also visited the technology company Ericsson with the German chancellor.

Scholz is expected to continue his visit to Sweden on Tuesday and meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson for bilateral talks.