Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has questioned Sweden's decision to increase military spending while reducing foreign aid contributions. Gates told the Swedish business newspaper Dagens Industri on Wednesday that he regrets the government's budget does not include funding for the Global Fund, an organization combating AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria globally. He suggested the nation's rising defense expenditures warrant greater public discussion and scrutiny.
Swedish Foreign Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa defended the policy shift to TT news agency, arguing that strong defense capabilities are essential for national security. Sweden ended its long-standing neutrality after the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022 and joined NATO two years later. The government plans to expand military personnel to 115,000 by 2030 and has approved 300 billion kronor in additional defense spending.
NATO members agreed to raise defense spending from 2 percent to 5 percent of GDP by 2035 at a summit in The Hague in June. Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed suggestions of Russian aggression toward Sweden during remarks at the Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday, calling such claims nonsensical and impossible.
Swedish Foreign Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa defended the policy shift to TT news agency, arguing that strong defense capabilities are essential for national security. Sweden ended its long-standing neutrality after the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022 and joined NATO two years later. The government plans to expand military personnel to 115,000 by 2030 and has approved 300 billion kronor in additional defense spending.
NATO members agreed to raise defense spending from 2 percent to 5 percent of GDP by 2035 at a summit in The Hague in June. Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed suggestions of Russian aggression toward Sweden during remarks at the Valdai Discussion Club on Thursday, calling such claims nonsensical and impossible.
