The Office of the President of Ukraine assures that they did not abandon the Swedish Gripen fighters in favor of faster development of the F-16. Negotiations on their transfer to Kyiv are still ongoing with Sweden.
Ihor Zhovkva, deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, stated this in an interview with Voice of America.
Earlier, Swedich Minister of Foreign Affairs Tobias Bilström explained the suspension of the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine by the fact that Ukraine itself came to the conclusion that having two fighter systems at the same time — both the F-16 and the Saab JAS 39 Gripen — is too much and difficult from the point of view of management.
When asked by a journalist about this Bilströmʼs statement, Zhovkva replied that he "never heard that the Ukrainians gave up Gripen fighters." And their transfer to Ukraine is, on the contrary, a topic that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy constantly raises before the leadership of Sweden.
"And it was like that even before Sweden joined NATO. For obvious reasons, they were not ready to make any promises at the time, as they were finalizing their membership in the Alliance. Now the country is in NATO, and my president is again communicating with the Prime Minister of Sweden, and our Ministry of Defense is communicating with the relevant authorities in Sweden. These fighters are as good as the F-16. So, we are moving in this direction," Zhovkva noted.
- Ukrainian pilots began familiarization training on Swedish fighter jets on August 19, 2023. At that time, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine and Sweden have already discussed future steps for Gripen deliveries.
- In September, Swedish Defense Minister Paul Jonsson announced that Ukrainian pilots had undergone basic JAS 39 Gripen training, and ground personnel had received training. Jonson said that the training experience of the pilots was supposed to be the basis for considering whether Ukraine needs Gripen aircraft.
- At the end of May 2024, Sweden suspended the Gripen transfer to Ukraine. Jonsson said that this was requested by the allies, since all attention is focused on the integration of F-16 fighters into the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- After that, on May 31, Ukraine and Sweden signed a security agreement. It spells out the prospect of the Gripen ADF transfer, including the relevant training.