Zelenskyy for accelerating training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 and Swedish Gripen fighters

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stands for speeding up the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters and Swedish Gripen fighters.

Zelenskyy said this during a joint press conference with the participants of the Ukraine-Northern Europe summit in Stockholm (Sweden), the Ukrainian News agency reports.

"The process of training missions is very slow. My position is that we need to change the process. It is very difficult, we need to talk to all allies in NATO. I think that is a problem. Second, if we can count on a positive decision in the future about the Swedish planes, my position is: if we can start training now - that's my position. If we start training, after the F-16s arrive, it will at least take a year or more. Therefore, it seems to me that the strongest solution for us would be to get the opportunity to train on Swedish aircraft in parallel with the F-16 program,” he said.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on Friday, May 31, Zelenskyy arrived in Sweden for the Ukraine-Northern Europe summit, where he signed three security agreements - with Sweden, Iceland and Norway.

The agreement with Sweden, in particular, provides that Sweden, in cooperation with international partners, will continue to make efforts to "enable the potential transfer of JAS 39 Gripen aircraft to Ukraine, including training, at an appropriate time, taking into account the progress in the integration of other Western fighters into the composition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine".

According to the media, Sweden has put on hold plans to transfer JAS-39 Gripen aircraft to Ukraine until F-16 fighters are used.