Sweden continues to discuss the possibility of supplying Ukraine with its Gripen fighters, which the country previously made dependent on its accession to NATO. It follows from an interview with the head of the Swedish Ministry of Defense Paul Johnson.
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Last fall, the Swedish government confirmed that one of the conditions for the possible supply of JAS 39 Gripen fighters to Kyiv is the Scandinavian country’s membership in NATO; the armed forces were instructed to assess the conditions for the transfer of these aircraft to Ukraine. Sweden officially became the 32nd member of NATO in March this year.
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“Discussions (supplies) are ongoing, and they are taking place within the framework of the “fighter coalition,” Yonson told.
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The minister added that the discussions are taking place as part of an initiative to help Kiev acquire American-made F-16 fighters.
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According to Johnson, Europe should strengthen its support for Ukraine and compensate it for the acute shortage of ammunition that occurred as a result of cuts in US aid due to internal political disputes. The publication writes that Sweden previously promised to allocate 30 million euros for this initiative.
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Separately, the head of the Swedish Ministry of Defense noted the cooperation between the Swedish and Ukrainian defense industries – we are talking about Swedish-made CV90 armored vehicles, which Kyiv is already using in combat operations. The publication notes that Jonson said that the experience of Ukrainian military operations also helps Swedish manufacturers to better re-equip equipment.
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Earlier, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström criticized NATO for insufficient assistance to Ukraine, and also called on its allies to create more difficulties for Russia. NATO Transformation Command also reported that Sweden’s military integration into NATO will be completed at the end of April this year.
