Ukrainian pilots are already training on Swedish Gripen fighters, - Zelensky
Ukrainian pilots are already undergoing familiarization training on Swedish JAS 39 Gripen fighters
President Volodymyr Zelensky said this at a press conference following the negotiations with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Censor.NET reports with reference to "European Pravda ".
"Gripen aircraft are the pride of Sweden. I am sure that Gripen can make our freedom much more secure. Test trials of Gripen with the participation of Ukrainians, our pilots, have already begun," the president announced.
He added that he discussed in detail with the Swedish prime minister the future steps regarding the possibility of opening the topic of obtaining Gripen.
"I will meet with the speaker of the parliament, representatives of the parliamentary forces and will raise this issue as one of the key issues for protecting our sky," Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian government has repeatedly appealed for help with fighter jets to several countries, including Sweden. Requests were made as early as the summer of 2022, and already in February 2023, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov expressed Ukraine's desire to receive the JAS 39 Gripen.
But at "Ramstein" in June, Reznikov stated that Kyiv is primarily focused on obtaining F-16 fighter jets.
Back in May, Swedish Defense Minister Paul Jonsson announced the training of several Ukrainian pilots on the JAS 39 Gripen in response to a request from the Ukrainian side. This agreement was confirmed by the Swedish Ministry of Defense in June.
On Saturday morning, the president began a working visit to Sweden together with First Lady Olena Zelenska. There he was supposed to meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, King Karl XVI and Queen Silvia, Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlen and heads of parliamentary parties.
