President Volodymyr Zelensky and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will meet in the town of Linkoping during the Ukrainian leader's visit to Sweden, the Swedish government said Wednesday.
Linkoping is home to defence group Saab which produces the Gripen jet fighter among other weapons.
"Following their meeting, Kristersson and Zelensky will hold a joint press conference to make an announcement in the area of defence export," the government said in a statement.
"A strong and capable Ukraine is a key priority for Sweden, and we will continue to make sure Ukraine can fight back against Russia's aggression," Kristersson wrote on social media platform X.
Last year, Sweden suspended plans to send its Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, after partner countries requested that priority be given to American F-16s.
At the time, the concern was that introducing different Western fighter platforms at once would overburden Ukraine’s training and logistics system.
That caution has since eased. Earlier this year, France transferred Mirage 2000-5 jets to Ukraine as Kyiv has increased appeals for modern Western fighter jets.
Deadly Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv
Zelensky's visit to Sweden came as Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on the Kyiv region, killing at least three people, including two children, according to Ukrainian officials.
Emergency services rescued 10 people after a fire caused by drone debris hit the sixth floor of a 16-story residential building in Kyiv's Dnipro district, where two people were found dead, local authorities reported.
The attack also blew out windows of a medical facility and debris was found at another residential building, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported on his Telegram channel.
In the Darnytskyi district of the capital emergency services were responding after drone debris hit a 17-story residential building causing a fire on five floors. Fifteen people had to be rescued including two children.
In the Desnianskyi district, 20 people were rescued after the façade of a 10-story building was damaged and a gas pipe caught fire. Debris from a drone also fell on a dormitory building and rescue workers were headed to the scene, Klitschko said.
The large-scale overnight aerial attack also targeted other cities in Ukraine including Zaporizhzhia and the port city of Izmail in the southern Odesa region.
Around 20 people were rescued after the façade of a 10-story building was damaged and a gas pipe caught fire.
Debris from a drone also fell on a dormitory building and rescue workers were headed to the scene, Klitschko said.
'Massive' drone attack hit Russian region, local head says
Meanwhile a massive Ukrainian drone attack hit Russia's region of Mordovia on Wednesday, damaging a local enterprise, the region's governor said in a statement on Telegram.
Local head Artyom Zdunov said that emergency services were at the scene of the strike on the facility, which he did not name.
Zelensky has been trying to strengthen Ukraine's position by seeking long-range Tomahawk missiles from the US, although President Donald Trump has waffled on whether he would provide them.
“We need to end this war, and only pressure will lead to peace,” Zelensky said Tuesday in a Telegram post.
Ukraine is hoping to purchase 25 Patriot air defence systems from US firms using frozen Russian assets and assistance from partners, but Zelensky said procuring them would require time because of long production waits. He said he has spoken to Trump about help procuring them more quickly, potentially from European partners.
Zelensky said earlier this week that the US is interested in bilateral gas projects with Ukraine, including the construction of an LNG terminal in the southern port city of Odesa. Other projects of interest include those related to nuclear energy and oil.
On Wednesday, Trump is expected to hold talks in the White House with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The military alliance has been coordinating deliveries of weapons to Ukraine, many of them purchased from the U.S. by Canada and European countries.
A meeting of the Coalition of the Willing – a group of 35 countries who support Ukraine – is due to take place in London on Friday.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
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