Swedish PM believes that transfer of Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine could begin within three years

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson believes it is possible to begin supplies of Gripen aircraft to Ukraine within three years.

According to Kristersson, the first step is to look together at all the options available for long-term financing for Ukraine. In this context, he mentioned discussions on the use of frozen Russian assets.

"We are talking about the latest generation, which was literally recently presented in Sweden. Production is just beginning here. Therefore, we are talking about three years in practice. That is when we will be able to start deliveries," Kristersson said at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Linköping.

He also stressed that it is impossible to deliver all 150 jets in one batch; this will be a long-term process.

As he announced the signing of the letter of intent, the Swedish PM said that the process of manufacturing and delivering 100-150 aircraft to Ukraine could take 10-15 years.

"I want to emphasise that this is not something that can be done overnight. We are simply demonstrating our readiness and desire, and that is how all processes begin," Kristersson noted.

In turn, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised the importance of having a political decision of such cooperation.

"We will also discuss the possibility of using other aircraft that are not the newest. We will also discuss the training of our pilots. But most importantly, what we really wanted was a political decision on the possibility for Ukraine to buy Gripen and build a modern air fleet. And today this opportunity is open, a politically positive decision," Zelenskyy said.

During his visit to Sweden on Wednesday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also discussed joint production of drones with the Swedish company Saab.