Featured:
UPPSALA, Sweden — Ukraine will buy 20 new Gripen fighter jets, and Sweden will donate 16 of an older model next year, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a joint press conference on Thursday.
The two leaders had signed a letter of intent last year paving the way for Sweden to sell up to 150 Saab Gripen model E fighter jets to Ukraine, though deliveries of the newer model are 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 Gripen E could be signed “within months” after the European Union approved a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan for Ukraine.
“Gripen is the best and optimal choice for Ukraine. So today, we take the next major step on this joint journey,” Kristersson said at a press conference alongside Zelenskyy at Uppsala air base, where two Gripen jets were on display.
