Sweden–Ukraine relations

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Swedish-Ukrainian relations
Map indicating locations of Sweden and Ukraine

Sweden
Ukraine
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of Sweden, KyivEmbassy of Ukraine, Stockholm

Sweden–Ukraine relations are foreign relations between Sweden and Ukraine. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on 13 January 1992. Sweden has an embassy in

OSCE, Council of Europe, World Trade Organization and United Nations
.

Historical relations

The first documented contacts between the people of

Ingigerd Olofsdotter.[2]

According to the

Danes, he incarcerated them. They were also mentioned in the 860s by Byzantine Patriarch Photius
under the name, "Rhos."

Alliance with Bohdan Khmelnytsky

Bohdan Khmelnytsky's banner that was taken at the battle of Berestechko. It was later taken by the Swedes in Warsaw 1655 and is now to be seen at Armémuseum, Stockholm, Sweden.

An alliance between Sweden and

Charles X Gustav to accept Ukraine as a Swedish vassal state and promised him the faithful service of the entire Zaporozhian Host.[4]

Finally an agreement was signed between Sweden and three Ukrainian commanders (Ivan Bohun, the leader of the Ukrainian Protestants Yuri Nemyrych and Ivan Kovalivsky) on 6 October 1657 in Korsun where Sweden acknowledged the Ukrainian borders all the way to Wisła in the west and Prussia in the north. But by then Bohdan Khmelnytsky had died one month earlier and after the Swedes had left Poland for military campaigns in Denmark the proposed alliance died.[5][6]

Alliance with Ivan Mazepa

During the

Bender Pylyp Orlyk wrote one of the first state constitutions in Europe. This constitution was confirmed by Charles XII
and it also names him as the protector of Ukraine.

After several unsuccessful raids into Ukraine

Riksdag of Sweden.[7]

Founding of Gammalsvenskby

Former Swedish church in Gammalsvenskby

In 1782 a Swedish village was founded in the newly conquered lands of

Catherine II of Russia. The new village was called Svenskbyn (The Swedish Village), but after German settlers had come to the area the name of the village was changed to Gammalsvenskby
(Old Swedish Village).

A Swedish Lutheran church was built in 1885 and the contact with Sweden was in many ways kept through the church. But after the revolution the situation for the Swedish-speaking villagers turned to the worse and in 1929 most of them (about 900) emigrated to

The Great Terror
in the 1930s.

Today there are very few Swedish-speaking villagers left in Gammalsvenskby. And today it's no longer a village by itself but a part of the village Zmiyivka (Ukrainian: Зміївка) in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine.

There is a museum about the Swedes from

Roma, Gotland, where many of the villagers settled after returning to Sweden.[8]

Relations during the 20th century

A Ukrainian information bureau was opened 1916 in Stockholm by Volodymyr Stepankivskyi and M. Zaliznyak. In 1918 an official diplomatic mission from the Ukrainian People's Republic headed by K. Lossky was opened in Stockholm.[9]

During and after World War II about 2500 Ukrainian refugees made their way to Sweden, although many of them continued to the US and Canada in fear of being extradited to the Soviet Union. Those who stayed in Sweden founded a Ukrainian Society in Sweden in 1947. In the 1950s they also started a Ukrainian information center in Stockholm headed by Bohdan Kentrschynskyj.[9]

Sweden supports Ukraine's aspirations to join the European Union.[10] Sweden condemned the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014 and the violence against Ukraine by Russian forces.[11]

Russian Invasion of Ukraine

See also: Russian invasion of Ukraine
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, 15 February 2023

Sweden condemned the

invasion of Ukraine by Russian president Vladimir Putin and voted against Russia in the United Nation's resolution to condemn the invasion. Due to the invasion, Sweden announced it would raise military spending citing the lack of security for the nation, and the country also announced it would be supporting Ukraine's resistance by sending 5,000 anti-tank weapons. Analysts for western media speculate that the defense budget increase would encourage both Sweden and neighboring Finland, the former of which has traditionally been neutral, to join NATO, which has only been supported by new polls showing a newfound majority of Swedes support their country joining the military alliance and that both countries have participated alongside NATO in recent military exercises.[12][13]

Economic relations

So far the most successful and best known Swedish company in Ukraine is the food processing company Chumak (Ukrainian: Чумак) in Kakhovka, Kherson Oblast. It is today one of Ukraine's biggest food companies. It was founded in 1996 by two young Swedish entrepreneurs with financial help of Hans Rausing of Tetra Pak.[14]

Swedish banks have in recent years started to show a growing interest in the expanding Ukrainian economy. In early 2005

SEB has 85 offices in Ukraine, but the plan is to open additional 20–25 offices per year so it will reach about 300 offices in the coming years.[15][16]

In mid-2007

Swedbank (Ukrainian: Сведбанк). Currently this bank has 190 offices all over Ukraine.[17][18]

The Swedish furniture retail giant IKEA has for many years planned to open its own store and MEGA shopping mall in Kyiv, similar to the ones in Moscow, but has been delayed due to a dispute over land. Instead it seems like a store will be opened in Odesa in the near future. But IKEA has been active in Ukraine for many years through different suppliers to its furnitures, mainly through its affiliate Swedwood with office in Uzhhorod.[19]

Twinnings

Resident diplomatic missions

  • Sweden has an embassy in Kyiv.
  • Ukraine has an embassy in Stockholm.
  • Embassy of Sweden in Kyiv
    Embassy of Sweden in Kyiv
  • Embassy of Ukraine in Stockholm
    Embassy of Ukraine in Stockholm

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Genealogical chart of Dukes of Kyiv
  2. ^ Encyclopedia of Ukraine: Biography of Yaroslav the Wise
  3. ISBN 0-8020-7191-0
    .
  4. ISBN 91-89315-63-4
    .
  5. ^ Bohdan Kentrschynskyj: Mazepa, pp. 84–105. Stockholm 1962.
  6. ISBN 91-89315-63-4
    .
  7. ^ Alfred Jensen: Mazepa, pp. 174–194. Lund 1909.
  8. ^ Website "Svenskbyborna"
  9. ^ a b Website of the Ukrainian Embassy in Stockholm
  10. ^ Chairman of European Council supports Ukraine's aspirations to join EU, Kyiv Post (4 December 2009).
  11. ^ https://www.regeringen.se/debattartiklar/2017/06/vi-vill-agera-for-att-starka-eus-forsvarssamarbete/ Debattartikel av utrikesminister Margot Wallström och försvarsminister Peter Hultqvist i Dagens Nyheter (20 june 2017) (In swedish)
  12. ^ Vakil, Caroline (24 March 2022). "Sweden, Finland participate in NATO military exercises". The Hill. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Sweden to provide Ukraine with 5,000 more anti-tank weapons - TT news agency". Reuters. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  14. ^ Chumak's website
  15. ^ SEB Bank's website
  16. ^ The newspaper Veckans affärer's website 2008-03-03
  17. ^ Swedbank's website
  18. ^ Avanza's website
  19. ^ Sweedwood's website

External links

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