By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Kyiv and Stockholm signed a letter of intent Wednesday on cooperation in air capabilities amid a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Sweden.
The letter was signed by Zelenskyy and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at a news conference in Linkoping.
Kristersson described the document as a long-term cooperation agreement between Kyiv and Stockholm, which included the possibility of a major deal on the purchase of between 100 to 150 Saab JAS 39 Gripen E fighter jets by Ukraine, produced by the Stockholm-headquartered aerospace and defense company Saab AB.
He argued that the letter provided great opportunities not only for Ukraine's Air Force, but also for Sweden and its defense industry.
Zelenskyy said Kyiv expects the document will allow it to obtain at least 100 of the aircraft’s new E-series variant.
“We clearly understand that this is a process, we clearly understand the financial basis for the possibility of fulfilling this important contract for us. We talked about this with the Prime Minister, with the management of Saab. I am grateful to Sweden for its willingness to cooperate on this,” said Zelenskyy.
Ukraine’s president arrived in Sweden earlier Wednesday after meeting Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Oslo, where an announcement was made on a new 1.5 billion kroner ($135 million) aid package to help Ukraine secure electricity and heating before the winter.