The aircraft will be delivered in about three years, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said

Ukraine and Sweden have agreed to work on a major long-term arms contract under which Stockholm would provide between 100 and 150 domestically-produced Gripen fighter jets, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on Wednesday.

The meeting came a day after the Ukrainian parliament approved amendments to this year's budget that increased military spending by additional 325 billion hryvnia ($7.7 billion), bringing it to a record 2.96 trillion hryvnia ($70.86 billion).

The two sides have yet to ink the deal, with Sweden - which became NATO's newest member in March 2024 - only confirming that it had signed a letter of intent on the issue. Zelensky insisted that both parties should ensure that Kiev's forces start operating Gripen jets "next year."

"We must do everything to get first real results next year," he told a joint press conference with Kristersson following the talks in Sweden's Linkoping. According to the prime minister, the first deliveries could be possible "within the next three years." "It is a long-time process," he told journalists.

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen has been in production since 1987. A total of around 280 aircraft of various types have reportedly been delivered as of 2025. The Swedish Saab AB company wants to be able to produce between 20 and 30 jets annually in two years, according to Reuters. Zelensky stated on Telegram that Kiev expects to get "at least 100 such aircraft" under the future contract.

The two sides still need to agree on financing, according to Kristersson. The funds could come from frozen Russian assets that Kiev's Western backers repeatedly considered giving to Ukraine or from the backers themselves, he said, as cited by Reuters.

El Pais previously reported that Kiev could run out of money by April. Ukraine's 2026 draft budget approved by the parliament on Wednesday had a deficit of over 58%. The government is set to spend all of its 2.8 trillion hryvnia in tax revenue on the military. All other state expenditures, amounting to another 2 trillion hryvnia, are expected to be covered by financial aid from foreign backers.

(RT.com)