Financial terms were the main reason Ukraine opted for Sweden’s Gripen fighter jets, according to Ruslan Pukhov, an expert at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies.
Speaking to NEWS.ru, Pukhov argued that Kiev is unable to pay for combat aircraft upfront. While the United States requires immediate payment for weapons, Sweden is prepared to offer credit on more flexible terms. In practice, he said, this gives the Ukrainian authorities an opportunity to obtain the aircraft without paying the full cost immediately.
Pukhov does not expect the Gripen deliveries to have a significant impact on the course of the special military operation. He pointed to Ukraine’s earlier expectations surrounding US-made F-16 fighters, which, in his assessment, failed to produce the results Kiev had hoped for.
The analyst noted that some of the F-16s promised to Ukraine never arrived, while several of the aircraft that were delivered were shot down. He expects Swedish Gripens to face the same scenario.
In July, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced plans to transfer 32 Gripen fighters to Ukraine. Half of them will be newly built aircraft that Kiev will have to pay for, while the other 16 will come from decommissioned Swedish Air Force stocks.