Sweden: Sweden to buy 4 frigates from France.

.STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - AUG. 31, 2026: Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Monday, Aug. 31, that an agreement providing for Sweden to purchase four frigates from French company Naval Group has been formalized. Kristersson welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron with a military ceremony in the capital Stockholm. Following their talks, the two leaders held a joint news conference aboard the French Navy's FDI-type military vessel docked at Skeppsbron Quay. Kristersson said in his remarks that Sweden would purchase four frigates from France. Expressing his satisfaction with the agreement between the two countries, Kristersson said, "The agreement providing for Sweden to purchase four frigates from French company Naval Group has been formalized. We plan to begin delivery of the frigates, which will be called the 'Lulea class,' from 2030." Kristersson said Europe's leading defense powers can meet their national needs through joint industrial capabilities, adding, "Today, we are not just signing an agreement; we are building deeper cooperation between Sweden and France to strengthen NATO's European pillar in the long term." Macron, for his part, stressed that the signatures marked a "historic step" in relations between the two countries. Macron said the agreement significantly strengthens Europe's maritime defense, adding, "We can have an advanced deterrence capability that Sweden has also stated it wants to be part of."