Kristersson was on an official visit to Estonia last week and spoke to ETV's "Välisilm" about Sweden's economy, defense, and support for Ukraine.

On the early morning of February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ulf Kristersson, then the opposition leader, was on a visit to Finland. He became Sweden's prime minister eight months later.

The evening before, he had met with then Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and then opposition leader Petteri Orpo, who is now Finland's prime minister.

"And we all discussed the obvious potential risk for a full-scale attack. Of course, we did not know at the time that the attack would occur just a few hours later. So I woke up very, very early that morning because my phone rang and Stockholm contacted me, so I went back very, very rapidly," Kristersson said.

"One of the first decisions we made in Sweden was obviously to deploy and give away weapons to Ukraine, for the first time in modern history."

Sweden has since become one of Ukraine's biggest supporters globally, likely ranking in the top five in absolute numbers.

"From the start of the war, we have given away – mainly in terms of military equipment – corresponding to a sum of €10 billion. And we don't see any limits to that. We continue our support /../ we have total unity in parliament," said Kristersson.

Last month, Sweden and Ukraine signed a preliminary agreement giving Kyiv the option to purchase up to 150 Gripen fighter jets.

Kristersson said Sweden has also learned a lot from Ukraine. "Sweden's defense industry has been very, very actively in learning from Ukrainians' experiences with drones, drone defense, rapid technological development, and civil defense activities," he said.

Asked if Swedes are prepared to fight for their country if a war breaks out, the prime minister replied: "Absolutely, yes. We have a very strong willingness to defend the motherland without any doubt."

"We currently have compulsory military service for young men and young women," he added. "We see no problems at all to recruit those that are required to do it. We also see middle-aged people becoming increasingly active and voluntarily participating in Sweden's defense organizations."

Valisilm asked if Ukraine is the number one topic in Sweden or if it had been overtaken by events in the Gaza Strip.

"With no doubt, it's the situation in Ukraine. You can't even compare them. Even though, of course, there are minorities who may focus more on the situation in the Middle East," said Kristersson.

"My main message for quite some time now has been that in an open democracy like Sweden, we discuss everything on earth, but we do it in a way that also respects other people's opinions," he said.

In today's turbulent world, one must also know how to play golf and get along with U.S. President Donald Trump, "Välisilm" said. Finnish President Alexander Stubb has done well in this regard.

Kristersson said he does not envy Stubb's success. "Not the least. I very much appreciate his golfing relationship with the American president. I think it is very good. I think all European countries need to interact with the U.S. and we do so in different ways, of course," he told the show.

Today I had the pleasure of meeting with @KristenMichalPM in Tallinn.

Estonia is a close partner, neighbour and Ally, and we continue to deepen our political and economic ties. We are united in our unwavering support to Ukraine and cooperate closely to strengthen security in… pic.twitter.com/KZ3wCgzgfV

— Ulf Kristersson (@SwedishPM) November 6, 2025

Kristersson said he is an avid runner and does not play golf. "I'm not sure running and gymnastics would be equally compatible with the American president," he joked.

Sweden is one of Estonia's top exporting countries, and the Scandinavian country's sluggish economy has a knock-on effect. The prime minister said Sweden is hoping the German economy picks up.

"World economies today are so intertwined nowadays. Everyone is waiting on everyone. In Sweden, there's a saying that we're waiting on Germany, because the Swedish economy is dependent on Germany's manufacturing industry, automotive sector, and so many other things," Kristersson said.

"But I think we're on the right track. I'm not cheering until we're sure we've overcome the recession, but we're seeing good signs. We had 10 percent inflation, now it's down to 2 percent," he added.

He noted that while interest rates had nearly tripled, they have now dropped by half. "We're also seeing [positive] signs in the real estate market. We don't know yet, I don't cheer yet, but the economy is showing good signs and I believe we are looking ahead to a much brighter future."

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