Ukraine discussing Gripen fighter jets with Sweden - President's Office
Ukraine discussing Gripen fighter jets with Sweden (photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine agrees with Sweden to supply Saab JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets as part of military aid, states Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva.
According to Zhovkva, the topic of supplying Gripen to Ukraine was constantly raised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during talks with Swedish officials. But before joining NATO, Stockholm was not ready to make any promises.
"Now the country is in NATO, and my president is again talking to the Swedish prime minister, and our defense ministry is talking to the relevant Swedish authorities. These fighters are as good as F-16s, and we are moving in this direction," the deputy head of the OP emphasized.
What happened before
Earlier this year, the Swedish parliament supported the provision of Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.
At the end of May, Swedish Defense Minister Paul Johnson said that his country was suspending plans to supply Gripen jets to Ukraine. The reason is that the focus is now on the delivery of F-16s.
Later, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said that Ukraine had concluded that it was "too much" for it to have both F-16s and Gripens.
