While Sweden is not yet part of NATO, such a geographically large country is concerned about the safety of its borders, and needs to balance between what assets it can or cannot provide as military aid to Ukraine, said the Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson in an interview to TV4.
"We will do everything to support them with planes, but right now there are no new commitments to give Swedish aircraft to Ukraine," the official stated as the discussion touched on the issue of handing Swedish JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighters to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Read more: The F-16 Aircraft Had already Landed on Ukrainian Airfields and even Engaged with Su-27 Fighters
This is not the first time Sweden reassures this position in the context of the so-called "aircraft coalition" assembled by Ukraine and its partners to help fend off russian aggression and overcome the air superiority russian invasion forces currently hold over Ukrainian territories.
For instance, earlier in May this year defense minister Pål Jonson said there was no "surplus aircraft" that Sweden could send to Ukraine, although shortly afterward Sweden joined the "coalition" in order to help Ukrainians train on F-16 fighters which Sweden itself doesn't have in service.
Yesterday, on August 20th, Ukriane's President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that Ukrainian pilots had already started a "trial training" on Gripen fighters and said he would push negotiations forward until the Swedish aircraft arrives in Ukraine.
In this context, Kristersson's statement about Sweden not being a part of NATO should be perceived not just as a pretext to deny the planes but rather as a specific condition for when the country will be more likely to reconsider the supply of Gripens.
After all, Ukrainian Air Force views JAS 39 Gripen as one of the types of aircraft to have is service eventually, as a supplement to the main combat jet, F-16.
Read more: Ukraine Will Get 19 F-16 Fighter Jets From Denmark
