Gripen jets will soon begin defending Ukrainian airspace — Sibiga
On August 24, Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga stated that Swedish Gripen fighter jets are preparing to defend Ukrainian airspace. Ukraine and Sweden discussed the timeline for implementing the agreements regarding the aircraft and further defense cooperation.
According to the minister, he held talks with his Swedish counterpart, Maria Malmer Stenergård, who arrived in Kyiv on Independence Day.
Against this backdrop, Sibiga reiterated the most important shared task for Ukraine and its allies—protection against Russian ballistic terror. This issue was the focus of today’s meeting between the foreign ministers.
Sybiga emphasized that Kyiv is doing everything possible to establish a Coalition to Counter Ballistic Missiles. This will enable joint development of defense solutions and coordination of efforts to secure and transfer additional interceptors to Ukraine from allies.
In addition, it is extremely important to increase sanctions pressure on Russia’s ballistic missile program.
“Swedish Gripen fighter jets, which have exceptional capabilities, are preparing to defend Ukrainian airspace—we discussed the timeline for implementing the agreements reached between our leaders, as well as ongoing work on the bilateral Drone Deal,” Sibiga stated.
According to the minister, he briefed the Swedish foreign minister on developments at the front and emphasized the need to neutralize Russian threats in the Black Sea. Sybiga reiterated the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation and the uninterrupted export of grain worldwide.
“I am deeply grateful to Sweden for supporting Ukraine not only with words but also with deeds—defending our independence and shared European values,” the Ukrainian foreign minister concluded.
Earlier, Ukraine and the UK discussed strengthening air defense capabilities and the supply of Gripen fighter jets.
It should be noted that the meeting between British Defense Minister Wes Streeting and the Ukrainian delegation took place without the participation of Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valeriy Zaluzhny. The parties offer different explanations for his absence.
As a reminder, Zelenskyy confirmed Umerov’s appointment as head of the Foreign Intelligence Service.
