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Royal Signal to Moscow: Sweden’s King Arrives in Ukraine as Gripen Jet Talks Heat Up
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf made an unannounced visit to Ukraine on April 17, marking his first trip to the country in 18 years and the first by the monarch since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on April 17.
The Swedish monarch arrived in the western city of Lviv, where he met with Zelenskyy.
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The visit is seen as a symbolic gesture of support from Sweden’s royal family toward Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russia’s war of aggression.
“King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden began his visit to Ukraine by honoring our fallen warriors together with me. We are very grateful for this respect,” Zelenskyy said.
King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden began his visit to Ukraine by honoring our fallen warriors together with me. We are deeply grateful for this gesture of respect.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 17, 2026
The memory of each and every one of them is very important to us – the defenders of Ukraine who fought against Russian… pic.twitter.com/Wl9bMhkckS
The monarch was accompanied by an official delegation led by Sweden’s Foreign Minister. His previous visit to Ukraine took place in 2008, when he traveled together with Queen Silvia.
During talks in Lviv, Zelenskyy said he plans to discuss expanding military cooperation with Sweden, including the potential launch of training programs for Ukrainian pilots on Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets.
“We are also grateful for the new program to strengthen the protection of our skies and for the future development of our modern air fleet with Swedish aircraft, Gripen jets. We very much hope—and we will discuss this today with His Majesty—that our pilots will begin training this year,” Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian President also thanked Sweden for its continued assistance, as well as Queen Silvia for her involvement in humanitarian initiatives. He highlighted programs such as Bring Kids Back UA, aimed at returning Ukrainian children, and support for school nutrition programs across the country.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Navy reportedly conducted the first confirmed combat use of Swedish-made RBS-15 anti-ship missiles in a strike on the “Sivash” drilling platform.
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")