The Scandinavian nation should instead be funneling funds into global humanitarian initiatives, the US billionaire has said
US billionaire Bill Gates has criticized Sweden for earmarking ever more money for the military, while slashing its financial commitment to international aid programs.
In an interview to Sweden’s Dagens Industri newspaper on Wednesday, Gates, who is known for his involvement in many philanthropic projects around the world, expressed regret that the Scandinavian country’s budget bill this year does not include allocations for the Global Fund – an organization that fights AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria worldwide.
Commenting on Stockholm’s growing military spending, Gates said that the issue “should be debated more.”
“Is this what people want to see, and is it really necessary?” he inquired.
Foreign Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa responded to Gates’ criticism by defending the country’s shift in priorities.
”If we don’t want our children to speak Russian in the future, we need to have a very strong defense,” he insisted, speaking to TT news agency.
Following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Sweden abandoned its centuries-long neutrality and applied for NATO membership, which it was granted two years later.
In July, state broadcaster SVT reported that the Swedish government intended to raise the maximum conscription age for former military officers from 47 to 70 as part of its push to double personnel to 115,000 by 2030.
Earlier this year, the country’s parliament also passed legislation pledging an additional 300 billion kronor ($31.4 billion) in spending on the armed forces, on top of annual budget increases.
At a summit in The Hague in June, NATO member states committed to increasing defense spending from the previous threshold of 2% to 5% of GDP by 2035.
The European Union, of which Sweden is also a member, has similarly approved several programs aimed at boosting military spending this year, including the €800 billion ReArm Europe initiative.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed claims that Moscow harbors aggressive plans toward Sweden.
Putin similarly described claims of imminent Russian aggression against EU member states as a “nonsense mantra,” calling the very idea “inconceivable.”
