Zelenskyy hints at Gripen fighter jets in new Ukraine-Sweden aviation project
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Ukraine and Sweden are preparing a large-scale combat aviation project expected to last for decades, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The president announced a "strong project" on combat aviation currently being developed jointly by Ukraine and Sweden.
"We are preparing new steps with Sweden to develop our Ukrainian combat aviation. This could be a strong project for decades," Zelenskyy said.
He made this comment after a conversation with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Gripen for Ukraine
In 2023, Sweden allowed Ukrainian pilots to train on multi-role Gripen fighter jets. In late February, the Swedish parliament approved delivering these aircraft to Ukraine.
However, on May 28, 2024, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said Western countries asked Stockholm to delay transferring the Gripen jets. At the time, the priority was deploying F-16 fighters in Ukraine.
A few months later, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström explained that Sweden had not delivered Gripen fighters because Kyiv decided that operating two fighter systems, F-16 and Gripen, simultaneously would be too complex.
In March, Sweden deployed its Gripen fighters for the first time in a NATO operation abroad. The jets patrolled Polish airspace.
