The Defense Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has concluded the first direct contract with a Swedish manufacturer, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reports.

"The first direct contract with a Swedish manufacturer was concluded by the Defense Procurement Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine during the visit of Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson to Ukraine," the Ministry of Defense said in a message on its Telegram channel on Monday.

The contract was reportedly made possible thanks to the support of the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, FMV, under the Cooperation Agreement between FMV and the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, which was signed during the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023.

"Cooperation with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration allows us to accelerate the development of our own agency and carry out further procurement, relying on the best European experience in transparency in the process of acquiring necessary products through the use and implementation of the best European models," the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

"The action plan agreed upon by the parties in early February in Stockholm, in addition to the planned contracts, also provides for the opportunity to join current Swedish procurement now," the message states.

"The experience of our cooperation on this first contract will pave the way for many subsequent contracts in the near future and strengthen the Armed Forces of Ukraine," FMV Director General Göran Mårtensson is quoted by the press service of the Ministry of Defense.