Ukraine's Zelenskiy visits Sweden to meet PM, royal family

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Sweden to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, the royal family and other officials as a Kyiv counteroffensive against Russian forces grinds into its third month.

Zelenskiy said he would thank them for supporting Ukraine amid the Kremlin's full-scale invasion, which is approaching the 18-month mark.

"Our primary task is the strengthening of Ukrainian warriors on the ground and in the sky, the development of bilateral cooperation, particularly in the defence industry, Ukraine's European integration and common security in the Euro-Atlantic space," he wrote in a Telegram post announcing his arrival. 

Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said last week his country was planning a new $313.5 million (AED 1.15 billion) military support package to Ukraine consisting mainly of ammunition and spare parts to previously delivered weapon systems.

The package will be Sweden's 13th to Ukraine since the start of the war, taking the total value of the Nordic country's military aid - which has included tanks and anti-aircraft systems - to more than $1.8 billion (AED 6.6 billion).

The Swedish foreign ministry said it had no comment on Zelenskiy's visit.