Zelenskyy heads to Sweden for arms talks and defense industry meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach / RBC-Ukraine)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Sweden today. He will meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in the city of Linköping, where Saab's defense facilities are located, the Swedish government reports.
After the meeting, Kristersson and Zelenskyy will hold a joint press conference, during which they will make a statement on the export of military products.
"During their meeting, the leaders are expected to discuss Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and bilateral defense cooperation between Sweden and Ukraine," the statement said.
Linköping is the production center of the defense contractor Saab, manufacturer of the Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet, the Saab GlobalEye reconnaissance aircraft, missile systems, anti-tank infantry weapons, and other equipment.
Swedish fighter jets
Earlier, Kristersson stated that he and Zelenskyy had discussed Kyiv's interest in the Saab JAS Gripen aircraft during a meeting of European leaders in Copenhagen.
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told RBC-Ukraine in an interview that Sweden has a very good dialogue with Ukraine regarding the possible supply of the latest Gripen Echo fighter jets.
The Saab JAS 39E is a modern multirole fighter aircraft designed to perform missions in the air, on land, and at sea — from target interception to precision strikes.
In 2023, Sweden authorized the training of Ukrainian pilots on Gripen multirole fighters. The Swedish parliament supported the delivery of the aircraft to Ukraine.
In May 2024, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson stated that Western countries had asked Stockholm to delay the transfer of the Gripen jets, as the main focus at the time was on initiating the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
