Ukraine lost one of its biggest friends in the European Union, ex-Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, when September’s parliamentary election in Sweden brought to power a different political coalition. In the Social Democrat/Green Party resurgence, Bildt’s seat is now taken by Margot Wallström.But Ukraine still remains on top of Swedish foreign policy agenda, its ambassador to Ukraine, Andreas von Beckerath, insists.

“One of the first cities our new foreign minister visited was Kyiv,” Beckerath told the Kyiv Post during an interview. “And the fact that we have our Prime Minister Stefan Löfven visiting Ukraine less than six months after taking office, I think, is a very strong signal that we are a steadfast supporter of Ukraine.”