Ukraine to receive Gripen fighter jets from Sweden for first time – Defence Ministry
Ukraine will soon receive Swedish Gripen fighter jets, as well as additional F-16s and French Mirages.
Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk, said this in an interview with the BBC, Censor.NET reports.
At the same time, he did not specify when the aircraft would arrive or in what numbers.
Since August, weapons from the United States have been arriving in Ukraine under the new PURL urgent needs program. Within this mechanism, European partners purchase arms in the U.S. and transfer them to Kyiv. Several EU countries and Canada have already joined the initiative, agreeing to contribute a combined $2 billion.
According to Havryliuk, the first deliveries under this program have already arrived in Ukraine, though he admitted that the volume and pace of aid have decreased.
"Previously, under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) packages, we received aid from the U.S. regularly and in larger volumes. Today’s system, where European countries buy weapons from the Americans on our behalf, requires more time. The more links in the chain, the more time is lost," the general explained.
Gripen fighter jets for Ukraine
Earlier, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said that some countries had asked Stockholm to hold off on sending Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström stated that the Gripen fighter jets could be delivered to Ukraine after Kyiv receives the F-16s.
