By Simon Johnson
UPPSALA, Sweden, May 28 (Reuters) – Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Sweden in Thursday, where the they will present news related to aviation, the government said.
Kristersson and Zelenskiy signed a letter of intent last year that could see Sweden sell up to 150 of its newer Gripen E fighter jets to Ukraine. But with deliveries several years away, there have been discussions about transfer of existing, C/D model Swedish Gripens.
The planes are a priority for Ukraine’s fighter fleet and the country’s defence minister said in May that a deal for Gripen E could be signed “within months” after the European Union approved a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine.
Shares in Saab rose following the announcement and were up 4.86% at 0817 GMT.
(Reporting by Simon Johnson, Johan Ahlander, Louise Rasmussen and Essi Lehto; editing by Niklas Pollard)