Sweden Redirects Billions To Ukraine, Ends Support For Zimbabwe

The Government of Sweden has confirmed that it will phase out development assistance to Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, Liberia and Bolivia as it shifts priority towards supporting Ukraine.

In a statement issued on Monday, 8 December 2025, Sweden said its development assistance to Ukraine will rise in 2026 to at least SEK 10 billion.

This follows a June 2025 decision in which the Swedish government redirected nearly SEK 1.7 billion from the development assistance budget towards additional support for Ukraine in 2025, as well as to life-saving humanitarian operations worldwide.

With the phase-out of funding to the five affected countries scheduled ahead of 2026, Sweden says it is restructuring its development programme to align with commitments outlined in the 2026 Budget Bill and to ensure greater support for Ukraine.

Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa said:

“We are at a crucial point in Europe’s history. Ukraine is under pressure, both at the negotiation table and on the front. To increase support for Ukraine, we need to take tough priority decisions.

“Therefore, Sweden is phasing out development assistance to Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mozambique, Liberia and Bolivia.”

Sweden said the phase-out would be carried out in a responsible and orderly manner, to shift future engagement towards a new type of partnership focused on trade and shared foreign-policy interests.

It stressed that humanitarian aid will not be affected by the changes. Sweden remains one of the world’s largest donors of humanitarian assistance, and continues to rank among the biggest contributors to long-term development cooperation globally.

As part of the wind-down of its bilateral development strategies, Sweden will close its embassies in Bolivia, Liberia and Zimbabwe.

However, it emphasised that diplomatic ties with these countries will remain in place and will instead be managed through concurrent accreditation from other embassies within their respective regions.

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