By Simon Johnson and Johan Ahlander UPPSALA, Sweden, May 28 (Reuters) – Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Sweden on Thursday, the government said, and a source told Reuters they will announce news related to Gripen fighter jets. Kristersson and Zelenskiy signed a letter of intent last year that […]
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Ukraine’s Zelenskiy in Sweden for Gripen fighter jet announcement, source says
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By Simon Johnson and Johan Ahlander
UPPSALA, Sweden, May 28 (Reuters) – Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Sweden on Thursday, the government said, and a source told Reuters they will announce news related to Gripen fighter jets.
Kristersson and Zelenskiy signed a letter of intent last year that could see Sweden sell up to 150 of its Saab Gripen model E fighter jets to Ukraine. But with deliveries several years away, there have also been discussions about transfers of existing, C/D model Swedish Gripens.
A source with direct knowledge of the discussions told Reuters that Thursday’s announcement will involve Gripen jets, but declined to elaborate.
Shares in Saab rose following the news and were up 5% at 0834 GMT.
The planes are a priority for Ukraine’s fighter fleet and the country’s defence minister said in May that a deal for Gripen E could be signed “within months” after the European Union approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine.
(Reporting by Simon Johnson, Johan Ahlander, Louise Rasmussen and Essi Lehto; Editing by Niklas Pollard and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)