Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Saab’s facility in Linköping, Sweden, together with Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson on Wednesday to inspect the JAS 39 Gripen E fighter plane and announced plans for Ukraine to acquire 100 to 150 of the aircraft under a potential multibillion-euro deal.
Zelensky and Kristersson signed a letter of intent paving the way for what could become Sweden’s largest-ever fighter plane export. The agreement focuses on the advanced Gripen E model, with deliveries possibly starting within three years.
Kristersson said the deal would not involve new donations but rather long-term defense cooperation and industrial partnership. Financing could come from EU funds and frozen Russian assets, though no contract has yet been signed. Saab CEO Michael Johansson called the announcement “a political handshake,” noting that discussions on financing, production capacity, and pilot training remain underway.
Saab has seen surging orders and share prices since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, driven by heightened European defense spending. Kristersson reaffirmed Sweden’s “unwavering” support for Ukraine and urged greater global pressure on Moscow. He aligned himself with EU voices advocating continued military engagement over a diplomatic compromise, reacting to rumors about a potential cancellation of the Budapest peace summit by saying there would be “significant risks” to holding the meeting.
Budapest, Moscow, and Washington, meanwhile, said plans for the meeting between Trump and Putin are continuing unabated.
Sweden’s support for Ukraine’s continued fight against Russia remains among Europe’s strongest, with a December 2024 YouGov poll showing 50% of Swedes favoring aid until Ukraine achieves victory, compared to 43% preferring a negotiated peace. In April 2025, an Ipsos poll showed 56% of the polled disagreed with the statement “Sweden should not get involved militarily.”
The last time Sweden was involved in a war was the Swedish–Norwegian War of 1814, a brief conflict following the Napoleonic Wars, in which Sweden invaded Norway to enforce a union after Denmark ceded the territory under the Treaty of Kiel.
