Talks with Ukraine on Gripen fighter jet deal are going well, Swedish defence minister says

STOCKHOLM, May 7 – Talks between Sweden and Ukraine to strike a deal on Saab-made Gripen fighter jets are going well, Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson said on Thursday.

The countries last year signed a letter of intent that could see Sweden supply up to 150 Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine.

“Negotiations are ongoing and they’re going well,” Jonson told a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Mykhailo Fedorov in Stockholm.

Jonson told Reuters he did not rule out a deal this year.

The planes are seen as a priority for Ukraine’s post-war air force fleet but there have been question marks about the funding.

Fedorov said Ukraine had a plan for how to finance the deal and that the country could be ready to announce a deal soon, “maybe in a few months.”

Swedish defence group Saab’s CEO told Swedish media in May that he hoped a deal could be signed this year after Hungary reversed its veto to a European Union 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine. REUTERS