Ukraine is set to bolster its air power with Sweden’s Gripen fighter jets, announcing plans to purchase up to 20 of the newest models while Stockholm prepares to donate 16 older aircraft.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the first of the Gripen E jets Ukraine intends to buy — funded with €2.5 billion from an EU loan — would not arrive until 2030.
Sweden’s contribution of 16 donated planes is expected earlier, with deliveries slated for early 2027, Mr Kristersson told reporters.
“This is a historic decision for Sweden, but it also strengthens Ukraine’s air defence significantly,” he said.
The announcement follows a letter of intent signed by the two countries in October 2025 covering Kyiv’s potential purchase of 100 to 150 Gripen E aircraft.
Mr Zelensky said Ukraine hoped to buy all 150 planes.
Arriving in Sweden, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine was preparing a “major defence package” with Sweden and a “strong step” on Gripen fighter jets.
On Telegram, he said that he will meet Mr Kristersson and representatives of the Swedish defence industry.
While the letter of intent was non-binding and included no firm timetable, Mr Kristersson previously said the first aircraft could reach Ukraine “within three years” if the process stayed on track.
Sweden had earlier paused moves to provide Gripen jets after partner nations asked that American F-16s take priority.
The developments come as Ukraine’s parliament ratified a loan agreement with the European Union, clearing a path for €90 billion in financing and allowing Kyiv to direct record sums to defence as the war with Russia enters its fifth year.
The EU issued its final sign-off on the €90 billion loan last month after Hungary lifted its veto, ending months of delays and easing strain on the Ukrainian state budget.
‘No change’ for US Embassy in Kyiv
The US Embassy in Kyiv has pushed back against reports suggesting it altered operations after Russia warned diplomats and foreigners to leave the capital ahead of a potential escalation.
Some Ukrainian outlets pointed to remarks by European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas suggesting the US embassy had departed Kyiv.
Speaking on the sidelines of an EU meeting in Cyprus, Ms Kallas said foreign missions in Kyiv had largely dismissed Moscow’s threat — with one exception.
“What we heard from Ukraine yesterday was that all the embassies stayed except one,” said Ms Kallas.
“All the Europeans stayed. America left.”
Several EU countries summoned their Russian ambassadors after Moscow issued its warning to foreigners to leave on Monday.
In a post on X, the US embassy in Kyiv said there had been no changes to its operations.
“The US Embassy is open. There are no changes to our operations and reports otherwise are false,” it said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, told reporters that Ukraine had heard that some US diplomats had left Kyiv at the time of the latest massive Russian strike on Sunday.
He added that Ukraine was grateful to all the embassies that work in Kyiv and support Ukraine.
The US embassy in Kyiv (file image)
A representative of the US embassy in Kyiv declined to comment on Mr Lytvyn’s remarks.
The acting US ambassador to Kyiv, Julie Davis, was in Lviv for an event at the weekend, according to the embassy’s social media post.
“The State Department has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans and regularly reviews the security posture of Embassy Kyiv,” the embassy said in its post on X.
‘Dangerous escalation’ in war
The new diplomatic friction comes as the United Nations’ human rights chief warned of a “dangerous escalation” in the conflict and urged both sides to return to negotiations.
“I strongly urge restraint. Resume negotiations and end the suffering,” Volker Turk said in a statement.
The UN rights office said 815 civilians had been killed and 4,174 injured in Ukraine in the first four months of 2026 – a 21% increase in civilian casualties over the same period last year.
“As if all these casualty figures weren’t horrifying enough on their own, following these attacks, Russian officials have publicly threatened to increase attacks across Kyiv,” Mr Turk said.
“International humanitarian law demands that parties to a conflict take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian harm,” he said.
Damaged buildings in Kyiv following recent attacks by Russia
“These are not simply suggestions or recommendations, but binding obligations carrying legal responsibility for those involved.”
His office also pointed to an attack by Ukrainian armed forces on an educational complex in the occupied city of Starobilsk on 21 May, in which Russian authorities say 21 people were killed and 44 injured.
“The UN Human Rights Office has conducted a thorough review of publicly-available information, which indicates that the educational facilities were operational at the time of the attack and that civilians – many of them students – were killed or injured,” it said.
Eighteen of those killed were women, it said, adding that attacks by Ukrainian armed forces had also killed and injured civilians within Russia itself.
Mr Turk called on both Russian and Ukrainian authorities to conduct “prompt, independent, and effective investigations and hold those responsible accountable.”
Russia’s invasion, intended to force the swift capitulation of Ukraine, has become the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, killing hundreds of thousands of people on both sides and displacing millions.
Russia and Ukraine have stepped up deadly strikes in recent weeks as US-led efforts to end the war, now in its fifth year, have ground to a halt with Washington’s attention diverted to the Middle East.
