President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Minister for Defense of Sweden Pål Jonson, during which the countries concluded an agreement on the procurement of 16 Gripen E fighter jets.
"In the presence of the Head of State and the Defense Ministers of Ukraine and Sweden, the document was signed by Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Serhiy Boyev and Director General of the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration Mikael Granholm," the press service of the President of Ukraine reported.
As noted, the delivery of 16 Gripen E aircraft will begin in early 2029. The procurement will be financed through a European Union loan and with the support of the United Kingdom.
"According to the agreement, Ukraine will also receive equipment for the aircraft, technical assistance, and logistics support. Training of Ukrainian pilots and technical staff is already underway in Sweden," the report says.
In addition, in early 2027, Ukraine will receive the first 16 Gripen C/D fighter jets as military aid from Sweden.
The Head of State thanked the Swedish side for implementing the agreements on the supply of Gripen fighters, which were reached during his meeting with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson in May.
The Swedish Defense Minister noted that the decision to supply Gripen aircraft is a turning point for the concept of the Ukrainian Air Force.
During the meeting, the parties discussed further strengthening of Ukrainian combat aviation and air defense, in particular, Sweden's participation in the PURL program and new contributions to it, as well as work on the development of European anti-ballistic missile capabilities.
Attention was also paid to the work on preparing an agreement in the Drone Deal format. According to Zelensky, Ukraine is ready to sign this document with Sweden as soon as possible.
They also spoke about the challenges for Ukraine during preparation for winter and the areas in which Sweden can provide assistance.
Special attention was paid to Ukraine's progress towards full membership in the European Union. Sweden fully supports our country's accession to the EU.
"We are grateful that we have such strong partners – the Swedish people, the Swedish government, and companies. A strong private sector is also very important. Thank you very much for this and for the annual military support, military packages, which is very important. Of course, political support on the path to the EU is very important. Sweden, for its part, truly advocates for Ukraine's future membership," the President of Ukraine emphasized.
