At the NATO summit in Vilnius, Sweden and Ukraine pledged to strengthen military cooperation, agreeing on the exchange of secret information and the supply of defense weapons.
The respective agreements were signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, the Minister of Defense of Sweden Paul Jonsson, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, and the Swedish Defense Property Administration, writes Euractiv.
The exchange of classified information will allow Ukraine to test Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighters in the future. Most likely, it is about the access of pilots to the equipment at the initial stages.
As for defense purchases, Ukraine will be able to purchase defense equipment through Swedish contracts and the Swedish defense industry. This means that orders will arrive much faster.
Sweden can also supplement its old orders — Ukraine will benefit from this, because Sweden will be able to share the surplus with it when it meets its own defense needs.
- On July 12, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, after signing agreements with Sweden, said that it provides "great opportunities for our Armed Forces and Swedish companies, such as SAAB and others." SAAB is one of the largest manufacturers of military equipment, in particular, the company created the JAS 39 Gripen fighter.