Ukraine and its Swedish partners are working to bolster aviation and air defence capabilities.
Ukraine and its Swedish partners are working to bolster aviation and air defence capabilities.
In Stockholm, Ukraine’s Minister of Defence, Mykhailo Fedorov, met with Sweden’s Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, and held talks with Sweden’s Minister of Defence, Pål Jonson.
Advancing the delivery of Gripen aircraft
During talks with his Swedish counterpart, Mykhailo Fedorov discussed the process of providing Ukraine with Gripen fighter jets.
Enhancing air defence and aviation capabilities is one of the key areas for implementing Ukraine’s defence strategy and protecting Ukraine’s skies.
Mykhailo Fedorov expressed gratitude to Sweden for its sustained support for Ukraine, particularly in air defence, its participation in the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) mechanism, and its support for other defence priorities.
Sweden’s involvement in developing anti-ballistic solutions
The parties also discussed expanding defence industry cooperation. Promising areas include cooperation on anti-ballistic solutions and other technologies capable of enhancing the defence capabilities of Ukraine and its partners.
Support priorities
Ukraine also outlined other areas of support that continue to be of critical importance:
- support for the ‘Czech Initiative’ for the supply of extended-range munitions;
- support for PURL and JUMPSTART;
- joint development of middle-strike capabilities.
The parties also discussed cooperation within the capability coalitions, particularly the Electronic Warfare (EW) Coalition.
Mutually beneficial cooperation between Ukraine and Sweden
The Ukrainian side proposed avenues for strengthening Sweden’s defence capabilities within a win-win partnership.
Ukraine’s battlefield experience and technologies can already contribute to strengthening Sweden and Ukraine’s other allies.
In particular, Ukraine has proposed launching the BRAVE SWEDEN project based on the Brave1 defence innovation cluster. This would facilitate joint projects, support defence startups, and promote the exchange of expertise in modern warfare.
Gripen as a game-changer in the war
Mykhailo Fedorov also held talks with representatives of Saab. Gripen fighter jets were a central topic of the discussions.
Ukraine views this direction as one of the potential game-changers in strengthening the country’s defence capabilities.
Other cooperation priorities include radar systems and satellite communications.
For its part, Ukraine offered the company access to combat experience, data, and Ukrainian digital solutions, including the DELTA system. The parties also discussed the potential for joint production.
Mykhailo Fedorov thanked Saab for supporting Ukraine and providing effective solutions that strengthen the Defence Forces of Ukraine.
Development of communications systems
The Minister of Defence also held a meeting with Ovzon. The parties reviewed the company’s mission-critical satellite communications solutions and assessed the potential for scaling them to support the Defence Forces of Ukraine.
Implementing Ukraine’s defence strategy
In addition, Mykhailo Fedorov held a meeting with a delegation from the Swedish Parliament, the Riksdag, led by Speaker Andreas Norlén and Chair of the Defence Committee Peter Hultqvist.
The Minister of Defence of Ukraine outlined progress in implementing the defence strategy and Ukraine’s successes across three key domains: air, land, and the economy.
He expressed gratitude to Swedish parliamentarians and the people of Sweden for the leadership in supporting Ukraine and for the exceptionally high quality of the assistance provided.
In particular, Ukraine and Sweden are cooperating effectively in the critical areas, including air defence, radar systems, and electronic warfare (EW) capabilities. Sweden has also delivered specialised equipment to support the operation of military airfields in Ukraine.
Ukraine, for its part, will continue developing joint projects with Sweden within a mutually beneficial framework of cooperation.