On May 9, Minister of Finance Sergii Marchenko held a working meeting with Swedish MPs to discuss Ukraine's implementation of reforms on the way to European integration, the need for external financing for the priority State Budget expenditures in 2024 and beyond, as well as the use of russian sovereign assets by Ukraine.

The Chairman of the Committee on Finance of the Swedish Parliament Edward Riedl and members of the Committee on Finance Martin Adahl, Charlotte Quensel, Ilona Szatmari Waldau, Hans Eklind, Janine Alm Ericson, Cecilia Rönn visited Kyiv. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sweden to Ukraine, Embassy of Sweden in Ukraine Martin Åberg.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance Olga Zykova and Deputy Minister of Finance Alexander Kava. 

"The support and solidarity of the Swedish government from the first days of the full-scale invasion were extremely important for Ukraine. This applies to financial, military and humanitarian aid. I am convinced that the further development of our partnership will help to strengthen Ukraine's financial sustainability and maintain its macroeconomic stability, and Sweden's experience in the process of European integration will be a significant contribution to Ukraine's path to the EU," the Minister of Finance said. 

Since February 2022, the Government of Sweden has provided Ukraine with about EUR 45 million in direct budget support.   According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Sweden has provided Ukraine with military, humanitarian and financial assistance totaling more than EUR 3.2 billion. Sweden has also repeatedly supported decisions on financial assistance to Ukraine in EU institutions.

As for the external financing needs, the importance of maintaining rhythmic support from international partners, in particular the EU, in the current and next years was emphasized.  

"It is extremely important for Ukraine to maintain further support from its partners. The Government is committed to cooperating with the European Union, the United States, the IMF and the G7 countries within the framework of existing initiatives. Implementation of the jointly determined reforms will not only ensure the receipt of the necessary macro-financial assistance, but will also bring Ukraine's policies in line with EU norms, which will help accelerate Ukraine's European integration," Sergii Marchenko emphasized. 

Sergii Marchenko also thanked the Government of Sweden for joining the Multi-Agency Donor Coordination Platform for Ukraine. During the eighth meeting on February 14, four more countries - South Korea, Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands - joined the Platform, pledging to allocate a total of more than USD 5.5 billion for the restoration and development of Ukraine's economy. 

In the context of discussing the frozen russian assets, the Ukrainian side emphasized that their use should become one of the resources to meet Ukraine's urgent needs.