LINKOPING: Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Wednesday that Sweden and Ukraine had signed a letter of intent to develop air capabilities, which could see Ukraine buy up to 150 Gripen fighter jets. Speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a press conference in Sweden, Kristersson said the letter of intent would create the conditions for a "very large defence industry deal". "Probably somewhere between 100 and 150 fighter jets of the model Gripen E that are now beginning to be made," Kristersson said, adding the deal could have a 10- to 15-year timeline.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Norway, the first leg of a European tour aimed at shoring up support for Kyiv amid a string of deadly Russian attacks. Russia's latest overnight barrage on Wednesday, which went into the morning hours, killed seven people and triggered power outages across Ukraine, also damaging a kindergarten in the east of the country, according to officials. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday shelved plans to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin for peace talks in Budapest, saying he did not want a "wasted" meeting. — AFP
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