Kiev had previously been optimistic about receiving aircraft from Stockholm
Sweden has no intention of supplying Ukraine with its state-of-the-art Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets, Defense Minister Pol Jonson said on Sunday. Kiev had previously said it would like to receive modern aircraft from its Western backers, including Stockholm.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, Aleksey Reznikov, in Odessa, Jonson was asked to comment on whether Gripen jets could be used by Kiev in its conflict with Moscow.
“There are no imminent plans to send the Gripen to Ukraine. I want to be clear about that, but I think it’s a very good plan.” he said, reminding everyone that several EU countries operated this type of aircraft.
While Reznikov made no follow-up comments, in an interview with Politico in October he expressed hope that Kiev would eventually receive Western state-of-the-art military hardware. “I’m sure that [deliveries of] fighter jets like the F-16, F-15 or Gripen from Sweden will also be possible.” he said then.
At the end of November, Riksdag member Magnus Jacobsson tweeted that if “Ukraine wants to buy the JAS Gripen, we should say ‘yes’. It’s not more difficult than that.”
In the Swedish government’s guidelines on arms exports, however, it is stated that arms should in principle not be sent to “a state involved in an armed conflict with another state.” They also say that weapons exports can be allowed if there are security or defense policy reasons for it and the move does not conflict with Sweden’s foreign policy.
While Stockholm signaled that deliveries of Gripen jets to Ukraine are not underway, the Swedish government announced in mid-November “the biggest yet” assistance package for Kiev worth SEK 3 billion (USD 290 million). The aid includes anti-aircraft systems, light all-terrain vehicles, winter equipment, body protection and other means of support.
After Russia started its military operation in Ukraine at the end of February, Sweden, together with its Nordic neighbor Finland, applied for membership in NATO, breaking with a decades-long policy of neutrality. The US-led military alliance accepted the request, but their bid has yet to be ratified by all 30 members of the bloc, with decisions by Hungary and Turkey on the matter still pending.
Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against arming Ukraine, arguing that this would only prolong the conflict.
Source: sn.dk