Swedish television reported on May 28 that Ukraine would buy 20 Gripen E/F multirole fighters from Sweden.
This came during the visit of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to Sweden. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the parties expect deliveries to begin in 2030.
After the deal is completed, official Stockholm will give Kiev another 16 Gripen C/D aircraft, which are currently used by the Swedish Air Force. It is expected to be delivered in early 2027.
During the visit, Zelensky saw planes equipped with French long-range Meteor missiles.
Meteor missiles could help Ukraine more effectively counter Russian guided bombs. male Kyiv Independent is a senior researcher at the British think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Justin Bronk.
“The Meteor missile is the only one with sufficient range to pose a threat to Su-34 aircraft that drop guided bombs 60 to 100 kilometers behind the front line,” Bronk said. Neither the F-16 nor the Mirage 2000-5F in Ukrainian service can carry such missiles.
Sweden and Ukraine agreed in 2025 that in the future, Kiev could buy between 100 and 150 Gripen aircraft. Meanwhile, Swedish authorities have warned that delivery of the newer Gripen E fighters is likely to take several years.
Ukraine already uses American F-16 fighters and French Mirage 2000 fighters, but this is not enough to protect the country from Russian attacks.