Sweden to phase out development aid to 5 nations, redirect funds to Ukraine

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) – Sweden announced Friday that it will phase out long-term development assistance to five African and South American countries and redirect the funds to support Ukraine, public broadcaster SVT reported.

International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa said the government will end its aid to Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Liberia and Bolivia.

Approximately 2 billion Swedish kronor ($212 million) that would have been allocated to these countries will instead be shifted to Ukraine.

"It is our duty and obligation to support Ukraine. The money has to come from somewhere for the budget to be balanced," Dousa said.

The long-term aid programs will conclude by Aug. 31, 2026. The move follows the government’s earlier announcement that Sweden’s overall aid budget will drop from 56 billion Swedish kronor ($5.95 billion) to 53 billion Swedish kronor ($5.63 billion) next year.

Dousa also announced that three embassies in Bolivia, Liberia and Zimbabwe, which are primarily focused on aid, will be closed.

"This does not mean that we are closing diplomatic ties and relations with these three countries, but that they will be designed in other ways with more focus on trade relations and other people-to-people relations," he explained.

Dousa further reaffirmed that humanitarian aid will not be affected by the changes in long-term aid.