SWEDISH Social Democratic Party Leader and former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said that Sweden must send Jas Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine after Norway and some EU countries announced they would be sending F-16 fighter jets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Saturday to discuss the possibility of receiving the advanced multirole fighter aircraft.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked Sweden to send Jas Gripen planes to be used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Made by Swedish car manufacturer Saab, JAS-39 Gripen is considered one of the best fighter jets in the world and often competes with other global fighter planes such as the US F-35 joint strike fighter, the Eurofighter Typhoon, and the French Rafale Jets.
Denmark and the Netherlands have both agreed to send F-16 jets while Norway could soon send F-16s to Ukraine.
Sweden earlier this year pledged to give Ukrainian pilots the opportunity to test its Saab-made Gripen fighter, but the Swedish government has also said it needs all its planes to defend Swedish territory.
The Nordic country has sent a total of 13 military aid packages worth roughly 20 billion crowns to Ukraine since the start of the war.
