Zelensky in Sweden for air defence deal

STOCKHOLM: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in Sweden on Thursday, where an announcement on air defence is expected, Sweden’s government said.

Aftonbladet newspaper reported that Sweden would announce the donation of JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets of the older C and D models to Ukraine and launch negotiations for the sale of the more recent E model to Kyiv.

The two countries signed a letter of intent in October 2025 on Kyiv’s purchase of 100 to 150 Gripen E aircraft.

Zelensky and Kristersson were to hold a joint press conference at 11am at an air base in Uppsala, some 70km north of Stockholm.

The letter of intent was non-binding and did not provide specific dates, but Kristersson said at the time that the first planes could be delivered to Ukraine “within three years” if everything went to plan.

“The Gripen is a priority for our army,” Zelensky said at the time.

Sweden had previously suspended plans to send Gripen jets to Ukraine after partner countries requested that priority be given to American F-16s.

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