Ulf Kristersson

Prime Minister, Sweden

🔴LIVE | Ulf Kristersson Holds NATO Forum Press Conference | AC113

📅 Jul 07, 2026 Speeches Uncut 30 MIN 74 VIEWS 25 SEGMENTS · 7 SPEAKERS

#UlfKristersson #PalJonson #Sweden #NATO #Ankara #LIVE #PressConference #OfficialStatement #Defense #NATOSummit #SpeechesUncut #WorldNews 🔴LIVE | Ulf Kristersson Holds NATO Forum Press Conference | AC113 Uninterrupted press conference as Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Defence Minister Pål Jonson address the media at the NATO Defence Industry Forum in Ankara. Follow the complete official statements and media Q&A live. Subscribe to Speeches Uncut for full speeches, press conferences, official statements, and unedited media briefings.

What Ulf Kristersson said

Written from the verified transcript and checked against it. Every figure links to the moment it was said.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, at a NATO forum press conference, discussed Sweden's role in NATO's Global Eye airborne early warning program. He clarified that Sweden has procured three Global Eye aircraft from Saab, with the first to be operational from Sweden in early 2027, while NATO's pool of up to 10 Global Eyes will operate from Germany. Kristersson defended Sweden's decision to prioritize providing Ukraine with the Erieye (Global Eye's predecessor) over Gripen fighters, arguing it enhanced F-16 capabilities without complicating pilot training. He noted that Ukraine is now purchasing a new air force, including 16 pre-owned Gripen fighters, alongside Poland's agreement for 16 new ones. Kristersson said the Baltic Sea has never been as protected and surveilled, citing Swedish submarines, Global Eye, and Gripen fighters. He declined to speculate on a NATO Global Eye hub in Sweden, saying it was 'above my pay level.'

Key takeaways

Sweden has procured three Global Eye aircraft from Saab, with the first operational from Sweden in early 2027.
NATO's pool of up to 10 Global Eyes will operate from Germany, not Sweden.
Sweden provided Ukraine with the Erieye (Global Eye's predecessor) to enhance F-16 capabilities, not Gripen fighters.
Ukraine is purchasing 16 pre-owned Gripen fighters, while Poland agreed to 16 new ones.
Kristersson said the Baltic Sea has never been as protected and surveilled, citing Swedish submarines, Global Eye, and Gripen.

Numbers and commitments

Figure	What it refers to	Type	At
3	Global Eye aircraft procured by Sweden	commitment	0:29
10	Global Eyes in NATO's pooling and sharing arrangement	metric	1:27
2027	Year first Swedish Global Eye becomes operational	timeline	1:27
16	Pre-owned Gripen fighters provided to Ukraine	commitment	5:04
16	New Gripen fighters Poland agreed to purchase	commitment	5:04

Chapters

0:00Global Eye operational timeline
1:24NATO Global Eye hub question
2:02Global Eye performance in conflict
2:58Sweden's commitment to Ukraine
5:04Baltic Sea security
7:31Global Eye range and Ukraine
9:20F-16 vs Gripen decision

Questions asked in this interview

0:29Can you clarify what you meant by that?
1:15And would there ever be plans to create sort of a Global Eye hub for NATO inside of Sweden, or would they just be dispersed where operations are needed?
2:58And Ulf Kristersson, why is Sweden so strongly committed to weaponizing Ukraine, sending grants, even new weapons to Ukraine? Why so?
3:51So that's why they flew it all the time. So what can I say?
7:31And if there's a decision up to the alliance, will Sweden be in favor of it?
9:20Do you think it would have been better if decisions would have been otherwise?

Ulf Kristersson 0:00 ↗

Here, and training is, of course, being undertaken as we speak.

Ukraine has the right to defend itself inside and outside of its territory, according to international law, of course.

Moderator 0:18 ↗

Thank you. Next question goes to the lady at the end of the first row.

Elizabeth Gossam Malo 0:29 ↗

Hi, Elizabeth Gossam Malo from Breaking Defense. My question is for the Swedish Prime Minister. Earlier during the announcement, I just wanted to clarify: you said that we would see the Global Eyes operating from Swedish bases starting from 2027, if I understood that correctly. And now we were talking about delivering the aircraft to NATO by 2030. Can you clarify what you meant by that?

Ulf Kristersson 0:55 ↗

Well, I just stated the fact that we use them ourselves as well. And we have a generational shift from the old model to Global Eye, and that has been going on for the last years, and they will be operational early next year, early next year.

Elizabeth Gossam Malo 1:15 ↗

And would there ever be plans to create sort of a Global Eye hub for NATO inside of Sweden, or would they just be dispersed where operations are needed?

Ulf Kristersson 1:24 ↗

That's above my pay level, please.

Well, these Global Eyes are, of course, the 10 Global Eyes are supposed to be operating from Germany. Then, of course, we have procured three Global Eyes, getting the first one starting from early 2027, which will be operating from Sweden. So there's both bilaterally, countries are procuring from Saab, and then we have the pooling and sharing arrangement with up to 10 Global Eyes within the confines under the authority of NATO, of course.

Moderator 1:55 ↗

Thank you. Next question goes to TV4, first row here.

Reporter 2:02 ↗

I have a question for Mr. Michael Johansson. You mentioned that the Global Eye had already proved itself in a conflict situation. Can you elaborate a little bit more on that?

Michael Johansson 2:14 ↗

Well, obviously, I mean, it's been flying 24/7 during the Iran conflict in the Middle East. But it's been flying in the Middle East to check threats for a long time, but that's apparently a conflict where it's been used a lot.

Reporter 2:30 ↗

And did you get a report back from the United Arab Emirates about how it performed?

Michael Johansson 2:39 ↗

Absolutely. We get lots of information on all our systems, how they are being used both in Ukraine and in the Middle East. So that's important feedback. Yeah, but it's been working tremendously well.

12 more exchanges in this transcript

Cite this transcript

APA, MLA, BibTeX

APA

Kristersson, U. (2026, July 7). 🔴LIVE | Ulf Kristersson Holds NATO Forum Press Conference | AC113 [Interview transcript]. Speeches Uncut. CEOInterviews.AI. https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/2958354/

MLA

Ulf Kristersson. "🔴LIVE | Ulf Kristersson Holds NATO Forum Press Conference | AC113." Speeches Uncut, 7 Jul. 2026. Transcript, CEOInterviews.AI, https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/2958354/.

BibTeX

@misc{kristersson2026_2958354,
  author       = {Ulf Kristersson},
  title        = {🔴LIVE | Ulf Kristersson Holds NATO Forum Press Conference | AC113},
  howpublished = {Interview transcript, Speeches Uncut. CEOInterviews.AI},
  year         = {2026},
  month        = {jul},
  url          = {https://ceointerviews.ai/interview/2958354/},
  note         = {Speaker-attributed transcript with timestamps}
}

▶

Key Quotes (2)

“Well, I just stated the fact that we use them ourselves as well. And we have a generational shift from the old model to Global Eye and that has been going on for the last years and they will be operational early next year, early next year.”

▶ 0:55

“Well, just to add on that, I think if you combine the Swedish maritime resources, not least the submarines and then the Global Eye and the Gripen fighters, I think it's fair to say that in our part of the world, including Europe, the Baltic Sea has never been as protected and as surveilled as it is right now and for good reasons because it hasn't been as challenged as it is today either. So there ”

▶ 5:06

Mentioned in this interview

Saab SAAB-B.ST: Sweden procures Global Eye aircraft from Saab

NATO: Pooling and sharing arrangement for up to 10 Global Eyes

Ukraine: Receives Erieye and Gripen fighters for air defense

F-16: Ukraine received F-16s from other countries, enhanced by Erieye

Gripen: Sweden provides 16 pre-owned Gripen fighters to Ukraine

Erieye: Predecessor to Global Eye, provided to Ukraine for surveillance

Zelensky: Met with Kristersson in Uppsala; pilot called Gripen a game changer

Poland: Agreed to purchase 16 new Gripen fighters

Earlier, on the same topics

“This is the moment where Europe must take greater responsibility for our own defense. Sweden is a leading country to that. We want the summit to manifest strongly increased European ambitions and to set a new ambitious goal for defense spendings. A few months ago, as you know, Swedish government ann”

Jun 13, 2025 at 9:16 →

“Today's letter of intent is something else. It does not aim at any new donations right now. Instead, it is about a long-term cooperation on air defense and the possibilities for a very large defense industrial deal. Probably somewhere between 100 and 150 Gripen fighter aircraft of the model E that b”

Oct 22, 2025 at 3:51 →

“My main message and I do think you will agree when I say this to the Secretary General is that Sweden, we take our responsibilities as a NATO ally very seriously. With a strong sense of urgency and solidarity. We are carrying out our largest increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War”

May 21, 2026 at 1:30 →

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About Ulf Kristersson

Ulf Kristersson, Sweden's Prime Minister and leader of the Moderaterna party, cast his vote in the country's general election on September 13, 2026, in his hometown of Strängnäs. In remarks to media, he described the election as a choice between "two completely different views on fundamental justice issues," citing mortgage tax and volume discount policies as key differences between his blue-yellow bloc and the red-green opposition. He expressed confidence in his coalition's preparedness, noting that his government had negotiated for four years and confirmed eight consecutive budgets, and said he felt "very hopeful" about the outcome. He also commented on the parliamentary landscape, observing that with eight parties in the Riksdag and no party close to a majority, the ability to compromise is essential for governing. In the weeks before the election, Kristersson participated in a televised debate with Social Democratic challenger Magdalena Andersson, where he criticized her party's approach to crime and elder care, and was questioned in his hometown by SVT. He defended his government's record on immigration, stating there is "no deportation policy" but that Sweden had tightened "an overly extensive asylum immigration" while seeking to increase highly qualified labor immigration. In an interview with The Economist in May, he discussed Sweden's NATO membership, saying the country had historically relied heavily on the U.S. while formally neutral, and that joining NATO had deepened cooperation with neighboring allies. He also witnessed the signing of a €4.3 billion agreement with France in August for the acquisition of four frigates, which he described as a significant investment in Sweden's defense capabilities.

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