Ukraine will buy 20 new Saab Gripen fighter jets and Sweden will donate 16 older Gripen aircraft next year, after Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ulf Kristersson announced the deal at a joint press conference on Thursday. The first donated planes are due in early 2027, giving Ukraine a faster boost to its air force while the newer Gripen E fighters are still years away.
Kristersson called Gripen the best and most practical choice for Ukraine and said the move strengthens its air defence significantly. Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs the jets and described the agreement as a new page for the country, adding that the challenge now is to secure the money for the larger purchase.
The announcement extends a fighter-jet plan that began last year, when the two leaders signed a letter of intent paving the way for Sweden to sell up to 150 Gripen E aircraft to Ukraine. Under that plan, Ukraine says it has set aside €2.5 billion from a €90 billion EU loan package for the planes, but a final agreement has not yet been locked in and deliveries are expected to start only from 2030.
That gap matters. Ukraine's air force still relies on a mix of Soviet-era and Western aircraft, and the older C/D Gripens Sweden is donating are meant to fill the space between the first announcement and the first new-production jets. The Gripen's ability to carry Meteor air-to-air missiles and operate from dispersed air bases, including ordinary roads, has long been part of its appeal for Ukraine.
Sweden has already sent 128 billion Swedish crowns in military and civilian aid to Ukraine and has set aside 80 billion crowns for this year and next. Saab shares rose 4.4% after the announcement, underscoring how closely investors are watching the deal as it moves from political promise toward procurement.
The next step is not the press conference but the financing and final contract. Sweden wants to conclude that agreement quickly, and the real test is whether Ukraine can turn the pledged support into enough cash to take all 150 jets it says it wants.
