Sweden does not rule out the transfer of Gripen to Ukraine, but is now focusing on reconnaissance aircraft – the Prime Minister

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that the current declaration of intent between Sweden and Ukraine does not include the transfer of JAS Gripen aircraft, but Stockholm does not rule it out in the future. He said this during his arrival at the summit of EU leaders on October 23, according to a correspondent of Radio Svoboda in Brussels.

“It is not part of the current declaration of intent. It concerns the sale of completely new Gripen models for Ukraine – this is a long-term issue. But we have never ruled out the possibility of transferring older models as part of our support to Ukraine,” said Kristersson.

According to him, Sweden is now focused on supplementing the American planes that are already arriving in Ukraine with one or two Swedish radar reconnaissance planes, which will significantly strengthen the Ukrainian air defense system.

The Prime Minister also said that the day before, he personally showed President Volodymyr Zelensky one of these planes. “He knows exactly what Sweden is doing to strengthen Ukrainian air defense during the war,” Kristersson added.

At the same time, responding to journalists’ inquiries as to whether Ukraine could receive Gripen as early as 2026, Kristersson repeated that “this question is not currently open.” He explained that the partners had agreed not to enter two different types of combat aircraft at the same time during the war, so as not to complicate training and maintenance.

The day before, during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Stockholm, Kristersson announced that the countries had signed a declaration of intent to sell Ukraine 100 to 150 Gripen fighters of the most modern E series. The Swedish prime minister added that this was the beginning of a “long journey for the next 10-15 years.”

Zelensky, for his part, noted that next year “everything should be done to get the first real results and so that the procedures can be completed in the near future.”

“Ukraine has already proven that it can perform such tasks quite quickly – train pilots, technical crews, prepare the infrastructure, and now our teams must do everything so that next year becomes a time for more significant implementation of our agreements and the start of using equipment,” the president summarized.

Last year, the Office of the President reported that a unique part of the security agreement with Sweden is the provision of specialized ASC 890 aircraft, as well as the prospect of transferring JAS 39 Gripen aircraft to Ukraine, including relevant training.

In August 2024, it became known that Ukrainian pilots began testing Swedish Gripen fighters.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the Ukrainian authorities have asked the West to provide modern F-16 fighter jets. In 2023, several countries, with the consent of the US, decided to transfer such planes to Kyiv. The first F-16 fighters that arrived in Ukraine were shown during the celebrations for the Air Force Day of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on August 4, 2024.