Ukraine may purchase up to 150 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden, paying for them with frozen Russian assets, according to The Guardian newspaper.
“Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that the purchase could be financed by frozen Russian assets held in Western countries, as well as by allied states from the ‘Coalition of the Willing,’” the publication wrote on Thursday.
It is noted that Ukraine already has American-made F-16 fighter jets and French-made Mirage 2000 fighter jets. Gripen has long been considered more practical for Ukrainian combat conditions — for example, it is designed to take off and land on civilian roads as well as runways so that it can conduct combat operations from dispersed locations, not just airfields.
Justin Bronk, an air warfare expert at the Royal United Services Institute in London, said that the Gripen E “hypothetically be a much more powerful medium-weight fighter” than Ukraine’s existing fleet, thanks to its radar, internal electronic warfare systems, and ability to carry and launch long-range Meteor air-to-air missiles.
Sweden has reportedly ordered 60 of the latest Gripen E aircraft, and Saab is expanding capacity at its factory in Linköping, aiming to produce 20 to 30 aircraft per year, as well as building them in Brazil.
“We fully understand that there is a long way to go… But starting today, we are committed to exploring all possibilities to provide Ukraine with a large number of Gripen fighters in the future,” the publication quotes the Swedish prime minister as saying.
A survey conducted by Active Group in collaboration with Experts Club in August 2025 revealed an exceptionally high level of positive sentiment among Ukrainians toward Sweden.
According to the results, 76.3% of respondents expressed favor toward this country: 41.3% rated it mostly positively, and another 35% rated it completely positively. A neutral position was taken by 21.3% of respondents, while negative assessments were minimal — only 2.3%.
“Ukrainians see Sweden as an example of stable democracy, a socially oriented state, and one of the most consistent allies in supporting Ukraine. This explains why this country is among the leaders in terms of positive perception,” emphasized Alexander Pozniy, head of Active Group.
At the same time, Maxim Urakin, co-founder of Experts Club, drew attention to the economic aspect.
“Despite the extremely high level of sympathy, trade between Ukraine and Sweden remains rather modest. At the end of the first half of 2025, bilateral trade amounted to only $418 million. Exports from Ukraine amounted to about $41 million, while imports of Swedish goods exceeded $376 million. This resulted in a significant negative balance of over $336 million. This means that Ukraine has the potential to intensify cooperation, especially in the fields of mechanical engineering and woodworking, where Sweden is one of the world leaders,” he stressed.
Thus, Sweden combines a high level of public support with new economic opportunities for Ukraine.
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ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, SWEDEN, TRADE, UKRAINE, URAKIN
On June 16, renowned Ukrainian pianist Natalia Pasichnyk received the prestigious Cultural Award from the Friends of the Arts Association, a cultural foundation affiliated with one of Sweden’s most famous museums, the Prince Eugen’s Waldemarsdösa Museum. The award was presented during a ceremony in Stockholm by Her Majesty Queen Silvia, according to the Swedish Royal Court website.
Hans Dillen, chairman of the organization, said: “Natalia Pasichnyk is a renowned pianist with a distinguished international career. But she also uses her talent to tell the story of Ukraine and spread Ukrainian culture – which is more important today than ever before. She builds cultural bridges between Sweden and Ukraine and is one of those rare figures whose artistic work becomes a channel for deeper understanding between peoples.”
Lars Edelholm
The Cultural Award, presented by the Renässans Society for the Humanities, is awarded annually by the Association of Friends of Artists to individuals who have made a significant contribution to cultural life in Sweden. The award ceremony is traditionally attended by members of the royal family.
“I am grateful for this recognition and attention to the promotion of Ukrainian culture—and Ukrainian music in particular—in Sweden. Today is not a time for celebration, but it is time to remind everyone once again of Ukraine’s need to be heard, to have the support of the world, and to talk about the existence of a distinct, deep, rich, and integrated Ukrainian culture within the European context,” emphasized Natalia Pasichnyk.
Fredrik Jönsson
The pianist has lived in Sweden for over 30 years and is one of the key figures in Ukrainian cultural representation in Europe. She is the founder and artistic director of the Ukrainian Institute in Sweden, as well as the artistic director of the large-scale European festival “Ukrainian Spring,” which takes place every year at the Royal Philharmonic Hall in Stockholm.
The Association of Friends of Artists was founded in 1937. Its long-time chairman was Prince Eugen, a member of the ruling Bernadotte dynasty and the fourth son of King Oscar II of Sweden. He was a renowned artist, collector, and patron of the arts. The association’s goal is to support and encourage people working in the humanities and arts in Sweden, especially through an annual cultural award. The Waldemarstad Museum (translated from Swedish as “Waldemar’s Cape”) is now in the prince’s old villa.
Sweden is allocating 4.8 billion Swedish kronor to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities. This support is part of the 19th aid package presented this year.
According to the Swedish Ministry of Defense, on May 22, the government decided to instruct the Swedish Armed Forces to make financial contributions to multilateral funds and initiatives aimed at strengthening Ukraine’s defense capabilities. The total amount of donations is approximately 4.8 billion Swedish kronor. The international community has established a number of multilateral funds and initiatives aimed at purchasing materials and equipment to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Sweden is contributing to several of them.
“These payments will make the Ukrainian Armed Forces and defense industry stronger in their defense against Russia,” said Defense Minister Paul Jonson.
In particular, these are contributions to several capability coalitions within the Contact Group on Defense for Ukraine:
Demining Coalition: SEK 100 million. Sweden’s assistance will help finance the purchase of demining equipment.
Drone Coalition: SEK 300 million. Sweden will help finance the purchase of various types of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Maritime Security Coalition: SEK 50 million. Sweden’s contribution will help finance the training of Ukrainian Navy personnel as part of Operation Interchange.
Security and IT Management Coalition: SEK 30 million. Sweden’s contribution will help finance the purchase of equipment for the creation of Ukraine’s Delta management system.
Sweden has also agreed to further contribute to the “Danish model” of arms procurement. The government has now decided to allocate an additional SEK 1 billion.
In addition, the government has decided to allocate SEK 418 million for the purchase of equipment to support the build-up of Ukraine’s ground combat capabilities, such as armored vehicles. Denmark is leading the procurement. Ukraine has asked the countries of Northern and Baltic Europe for support in developing the country’s mechanized ground combat capabilities. Sweden has therefore initiated cooperation with the countries of Northern and Baltic Europe for this purpose. Thanks to cooperation between the countries of Northern and Baltic Europe, there are opportunities to develop joint solutions and coordinate support from different countries in order to achieve a greater effect for Ukraine.
As a supplement to Sweden’s national procurement of ammunition for Ukraine, the government has decided to support two multilateral initiatives for the procurement of ammunition. The Czech Republic has taken the initiative to procure large quantities of ammunition with short delivery times on the global market. This includes artillery ammunition, which Ukraine is in great need of. Sweden has previously contributed to this initiative, and the government has now decided to allocate an additional SEK 550 million.
Estonia has taken a similar initiative, which also aims to co-finance the purchase of ammunition. The government has decided to allocate just over SEK 546 million to the Estonian initiative.
It is noted that Sweden’s contribution in the field of ammunition is an important part of achieving the EU’s goal of providing Ukraine with at least 2 million artillery shells by 2025.
The government is also allocating more than SEK 1 billion for the purchase of both air defense systems and long-range drones to combat targets deep in the battlefield as part of multilateral cooperation.
Sweden will allocate $137.7 million for the restoration and development of Ukraine, as well as for its urgent humanitarian needs, Swedish Minister for International Development Benjamin Dusa said on Thursday.
According to him, this is the largest civilian aid program in Sweden’s history: it includes funds for infrastructure restoration, demining and training of medical workers.
Dusa added that support for Ukraine is, in particular, a matter of Swedish security.
The Swedish government has decided to provide a new humanitarian aid package of SEK110 million ($10.4 million) to Ukraine, which will be used to meet increased needs ahead of the winter period, the Swedish government website said Sunday.
“Russia has targeted civilian infrastructure and deprived Ukraine of much of its heat and electricity supply. Of course, the colder it gets, the more serious the consequences. Therefore, a significant part of the population is experiencing difficulties in heating their homes and cooking. That is why the government has decided to allocate 110 million crowns to a number of humanitarian organizations in Ukraine,” said Benjamin Dusa, Minister of Foreign Development and Foreign Trade.
The humanitarian package is distributed among four organizations. The Ukrainian Red Cross received SEK50 million; the support focuses on, among other things, guaranteed access to heat and electricity, distribution of food, hygiene products, medicines and water. UNHCR received SEK20 million; Sweden will contribute to help internally displaced persons prepare and protect themselves before and during the coming winter. UNDP received SEK30 million for demining. UNFPA will receive SEK10 million to address women’s sexual and reproductive health needs, prevent sexual and gender-based violence and support survivors of violence.
Earlier, on October 17, the Nordic and Baltic countries presented a new support package to Ukraine to repair damaged and replace destroyed energy systems with new ones before winter. Sweden’s contribution amounted to SEK320 million ($30 million).
“This support package is important to support the Ukrainian energy sector and help keep Ukrainian society functioning and Ukrainian homes warm,” Dusa said.
According to the government, Sweden has previously allocated a total of SEK57.4 billion ($5.4 billion) in support for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022: humanitarian, military and financial support, as well as support for reconstruction and reform work. Including the new support packages, Sweden’s total contribution will amount to more than SEK57.8 billion.
Including in 2024 alone, the Swedish government has decided to allocate a total of SEK1.8 billion for additional support for the Ukrainian energy sector. After two aid packages in October, this amount exceeded SEK2.2bn (over $210m).
