Ukrainians already undergoing training on Swedish-made Gripen jets – Zelenskyy
The Ukrainian pilots have begun participating in an introductory training exercise on Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets, which Kyiv hopes to receive.
Source: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a press conference following talks with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, as reported by European Pravda.
Quote from Zelenskyy: "Gripen aircraft are the pride of Sweden. I firmly believe that Gripen can make our freedom much more secure. Gripen test flights involving Ukrainians, our pilots, have begun."
Details: The Ukrainian president added that he and the Swedish Prime Minister had thoroughly discussed further steps on the prospect of raising the issue of supplying Ukraine with Gripen aircraft.
"I will meet with the Speaker of the [Swedish] Parliament, representatives of parliamentary faction parties and push this issue as one of the crucial ones to protect our skies," he said.
Background: The Ukrainian government has repeatedly requested assistance on fighter jets from several countries, including Sweden. The requests were made back in the summer of 2022, and in February 2023, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov expressed Ukraine's desire to receive the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen jets.
However, during a Ramstein-format meeting in June, Reznikov said Kyiv is primarily focused on obtaining US-made F-16 fighter jets.
Back in May, Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson announced that several Ukrainian pilots would be trained on the JAS 39 Gripen following a request from the Ukrainian side. The Swedish Defence Ministry confirmed this agreement in June.
On Saturday morning, the president started a working visit to Sweden together with First Lady Olena Zelenska. There, they were expected to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, King Charles XVI and Queen Silvia, Speaker of Parliament Andreas Norlén and heads of parliamentary parties.
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