June 30 (Reuters) – Swedish defence equipment maker Saab signed a contract on Tuesday to deliver 16 Gripen E fighter aircraft to Ukraine in a deal worth about 24.6 billion Swedish crowns ($2.54 billion).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the agreement reached with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson involved the purchase of 16 Gripen aircraft and included technical support.
Saab’s timetable differed from that outlined by Zelenskiy, who said deliveries would begin in 2027, while the Swedish defence equipment maker said deliveries were scheduled for 2029-2030.
Zelenskiy said he had discussed implementation of the agreement and broader defence cooperation with Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson during a meeting in Kyiv on Tuesday, including drone and missile-defence projects.
The deal differed from plans outlined by Zelenskiy in May, when he said Ukraine would buy 20 Gripen E fighter jets and Sweden would provide a further 16 older-model Gripens to support Kyiv’s war effort against Russia.
($1 = 9.6979 Swedish crowns)
(Reporting by Anna Peverieri in Barcelona, Additional reporting by Ronald Popeski, Editing by Nick Zieminski)