Ukraine will buy 20 new Gripen jets and Sweden will donate older planes

Ukraine will buy 20 new Gripen fighters and Sweden will donate 16 of an older model next year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a joint press conference on Thursday (28).

The two leaders signed a letter of intent last year, paving the way for Sweden to sell up to 150 Saab Gripen E-model fighters to Ukraine, although deliveries of the newest model are still several years away.

The planes are a priority for Ukraine's fighter fleet and the country's defense minister said in May that a deal for the Gripen E could be signed "within months" after the European Union approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine.

"Gripen is the best and great choice for Ukraine. So today, we take the next big step in this joint journey," Kristersson said alongside Zelensky at Uppsala air base, where two Gripen jets were on display.

"We need these jets and for us this is really a new page for Ukraine," Zelensky said, adding that he planned to buy all 150 jets stipulated in the original letter of intent. "God bless us, we will have enough funding for this."

The transfer of older model C/D jets allows for an interim solution for Ukraine's air defense in the meantime.

Zelensky said Ukraine had set aside 2.5 billion euros of a 90 billion-euro EU loan package for the planes. Deliveries of the new model are expected to arrive in Ukraine from 2030.

Source: CNN