Ukraine's Zelenskyy to visit Sweden on Wednesday for defence talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to discuss a possible export deal at Swedish defence industry group Saab on Wednesday, said Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who will join him at the factory.

Saab is the maker of the JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet, the GlobalEye surveillance aircraft, missile systems, anti-tank infantry weapons and other equipment. "The entire meeting takes place at Saab in Linkoping," Kristersson told Swedish radio. "We will discuss a major possible Swedish export deal."

Linkoping is a key manufacturing hub of Saab, where it produces the Gripen. Kristersson declined to specify if Gripen would be discussed.

However, he told public broadcaster Swedish Radio: "When it comes to flying capability in the midst of the ongoing war, it is radar reconnaissance aircraft that are the major contribution."

Sweden said last year it was donating two radar surveillance and command aircraft to Ukraine.

The Swedish government said in a statement Zelenskyy and Kristersson would present news regarding ​​defence exports at a joint press conference.

A spokesperson for the prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

Kristersson said this month that he and Zelenskyy had discussed Kyiv's interest in Gripen at a meeting of European leaders in Copenhagen. He said at the time donations of the fighter jet were not on the cards.

The possibility of supplying Gripens to Ukraine has been under consideration over the past two years but was put on hold to allow Kyiv to focus on the introduction of American-made F-16 fighters that it began deploying last August.

Still, Ukrainian pilots have been in Sweden to test the Gripen and help smooth any eventual export of the jets.

On Wednesday, a Saab spokesperson referred all questions about the event to the government.