Sweden doesn’t rule out sending Gripen jets to Ukraine ‘at a later stage’

Sweden is putting plans to send Gripen jets to Ukraine on hold, after its partners asked it to wait while the F-16 fighter jets are being introduced.

Published: 29 May 2024 06:40 CEST

Sweden doesn't rule out sending Gripen jets to Ukraine 'at a later stage'

Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson. Photo: Wiktor Nummelin/TT

“The other countries in the air force coalition have asked us to wait before donating the Gripen system,” a spokesman for Defence Minister Pål Jonson told AFP.

“Our partners in the air force coalition underline that there are significant complexities involved in introducing two fighter jet systems simultaneously and that the focus should be on introducing the F-16 system in the Ukrainian air force,” he said.

Sweden has not taken a formal decision to donate Gripens to Kyiv, but in September said Ukrainian pilots had completed initial training in anticipation of the arrival of the aircraft.

Tuesday’s decision was announced in Brussels, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo signed an agreement under which Belgium will supply 30 F-16 fighter jets by 2028.

The Netherlands and Denmark lead a coalition of 11 countries that have pledged to deliver the US-made jets to Ukraine and train Ukrainian pilots.

“We are not excluding sending Gripens at a later stage,” the Swedish defence ministry spokesman said.

The Scandinavian country has more than 90 JAS 39 Gripen jets at its disposal, made by defence group Saab.

Member comments

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Signed by Stockholm and Washington in December, the deal gives the US access to 17 military bases and training areas in Sweden, and allows the storage of weapons, military equipment and ammunition.

The agreement was approved by a broad majority in parliament following an almost five-hour debate, with 266 MPs voting in favour and 37 against, while 46 were absent.

The main opponents, the Left and Green parties, had argued that the agreement ought to state outright that the Scandinavian country would not allow nuclear weapons on its territory.

READ ALSO:

What does the new Sweden-US defence pact mean for you?

“We want to see legislation that bans nuclear weapons from being brought onto Swedish soil,” Green Party MP Emma Berginger told parliament during Tuesday’s debate.

“Unfortunately, the government has chosen to sign an agreement that doesn’t close the door to nuclear weapons, and therefore the Green Party is going to vote no to this agreement,” she told said during the debate.

Manual widget for ML (class=”ml-manual-widget-container”)

Greens leader Daniel Helldén had argued on Monday that the agreement made Sweden “a target for nuclear weapons” since “we’re going to have 17 bases where the Americans can store (military) materiel”.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s centre-right minority government, propped up by the far-right Sweden Democrats, has said the deal respects Swedish sovereignty.

“It is very clear that Sweden is a sovereign nation, and there is no other country that can force Sweden to have nuclear weapons on Swedish soil,” Defence Minister Pål Jonson insisted.

‘Naive’

The Left and Green parties, which also voted against Sweden’s Nato membership, together hold just 42 seats in parliament, which was not enough to block the agreement’s adoption on their own.

The Swedish Peace and Arbitration Association, one of the biggest critics of the move, said two successive Swedish governments insisted during the Nato application process that Sweden would have the same stance on nuclear weapons as neighbouring Denmark and Norway.

“But unlike Norway’s and Denmark’s DCA agreements, there is no clause in Sweden’s agreement against nuclear weapons being brought into or placed in Sweden,” the association’s head Kerstin Bergeå wrote in an op-ed.

In addition, Finland, which joined Nato in April 2023, “has a national law prohibiting nuclear weapons on Finnish territory and Finland’s DCA agreement refers to this law”.

A similar Swedish clause would “strengthen the Nordic region and contribute to a joint de-escalation vis-a-vis Russian nuclear weapons”, Bergeå said.

Nukes in wartime?

Sweden’s prime minister made headlines last month when he opened the door for the possibility of nuclear weapons in the country during wartime.

“In a war situation it’s a completely different matter, (it) would depend entirely on what would happen,” Kristersson told public radio broadcaster SR.

Two Left Party MPs said in an op-ed on Sunday: “That’s an incredible statement and is totally the opposite of what the Swedish people think and what Sweden has long stood for.”

Bergeå questioned whether Sweden would be able to put a brake on the United States.

“An agreement based solely on confidence is not enough in important matters such as these,” she said.

Jonson, the defence minister, has said Sweden needed to strengthen its international cooperation “to defend our freedom and democracy”.

“With the DCA, Sweden can receive early, swift and effective military support from the United States in a deteriorating security situation,” he said last month.

“The agreement acts as a deterrent and is stabilising. It reduces the risk of war breaking out and makes Sweden safer,” Jonson said.