Bill Gates believes Sweden should prioritize funding global humanitarian efforts instead of increasing military expenditures.
The American billionaire criticized Sweden’s growing military budget and decreased funding for international aid programs.
In an interview with the Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri on Wednesday, Gates, known for his philanthropic work, expressed disappointment that Sweden’s budget didn’t allocate funds to the Global Fund, an organization dedicated to fighting AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Gates commented that Stockholm’s increasing military spending “should be debated more.”
He questioned, “Is this what people want to see, and is it really necessary?”
Foreign Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa defended Sweden’s change in priorities, responding to Gates’ criticism.
He told TT news agency, ”If we don’t want our children to speak Russian in the future, we need to have a very strong defense.”
After the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022, Sweden abandoned its long-held neutrality and joined NATO two years later.
In July, state broadcaster SVT reported that the Swedish government plans to raise the maximum conscription age for former military officers from 47 to 70 to increase personnel to 115,000 by 2030.
Earlier this year, the Swedish parliament approved legislation committing an additional 300 billion kronor ($31.4 billion) to the armed forces, supplementing existing annual budget increases.
At a summit in The Hague in June, NATO members agreed to increase defense spending from 2% to 5% of GDP by 2035.
The European Union, including Sweden, has also approved various programs to boost military spending this year, such as the €800 billion ReArm Europe initiative.
Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed allegations of aggressive intentions toward Sweden.
Putin also called claims of imminent Russian aggression against EU members a “nonsense mantra,” deeming the idea “inconceivable.”
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