Sweden and Ukraine have agreed to create a joint innovation hub in Kiev to develop new weapon technology. Defense ministers Pål Jonson and Denys Shmyhal signed a letter of intent during a press conference on Thursday. The partnership aims to combine Swedish expertise with Ukrainian war experience.
On Thursday, Sweden's Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) and Ukraine's Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal presented an expanded defense cooperation by signing a 'Letter of Intent on Defense Innovation'. The hub in Kiev will combine Swedish research and industry expertise with Ukrainians' experiences from the war against Russia, focusing on developing new weapon technologies such as drones and unmanned systems.
'We will establish personnel and work with defense innovation. Swedish personnel will be on site,' says Jonson. Shmyhal emphasizes that it is not about immediate production but about sharing technologies and experiences, from IT innovations to engineering.
'It is more about technologies and experiences. We are ready to share that,' says Shmyhal. The hub is to start as soon as possible, and there are already agreements between Swedish and Ukrainian companies.
At the same time, Sweden is opening up to delivering older Gripen C/D models faster than the planned Gripen E aircraft, which are expected within three years. Ukraine has signed a letter of intent to purchase over 100 Gripen E, and Shmyhal hopes for delivery of existing planes as early as next year.
'Gripen C/D can fill that gap. We just need to confirm what needs there are,' says Jonson. Ukrainian pilots have recently been trained in Sweden on Gripen C/D. Shmyhal visited Saab's factory in Linköping earlier that day.
'Supporting Ukraine is both the right and smart thing to do. It is also an investment in our own security,' adds Jonson.
