Sweden Gives Radar Surveillance Planes to Ukraine Air Force 

A self-propelled howitzer of Ukraine’s 57th brigade fires in the direction of Russian positions on the outskirts of Kupiansk, Ukraine, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, April 21, 2024. (Reuters)
A self-propelled howitzer of Ukraine’s 57th brigade fires in the direction of Russian positions on the outskirts of Kupiansk, Ukraine, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, April 21, 2024. (Reuters)
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Sweden Gives Radar Surveillance Planes to Ukraine Air Force 

A self-propelled howitzer of Ukraine’s 57th brigade fires in the direction of Russian positions on the outskirts of Kupiansk, Ukraine, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, April 21, 2024. (Reuters)
A self-propelled howitzer of Ukraine’s 57th brigade fires in the direction of Russian positions on the outskirts of Kupiansk, Ukraine, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, April 21, 2024. (Reuters)

Sweden will donate two radar surveillance and command aircraft to Ukraine to boost its defenses in the war with Russia, the Swedish government said on Wednesday, its largest aid package to Ukraine so far, worth about 13.3 billion Swedish crowns ($1.3 billion).

The Saab Airborne Surveillance and Control (ASC) 890 aircraft allows easier long-range target identification and will help Ukraine with the planned introduction of F-16 fighter jets donated by other Western countries, Sweden said.

"They will complement and reinforce the F-16 systems," Defense Minister Pal Jonson told a press briefing in Stockholm.

Ukraine's air force, which relies on a relatively small fleet of old, Soviet-era jets, wants F-16s to help enhance its air defenses amid regular Russian air strikes and to push back against advanced Russian fighter jets.

Earlier this week, Ukraine's defense minister said he hoped the first F-16 fighter jets would be delivered to Ukraine "very soon".

The Swedish government said last week it planned to give military support to Ukraine totaling 75 billion Swedish crowns ($7.1 billion) over three years.

Sweden will now speed up orders for S 106 Global Eye aircraft to replace the donated planes, Jonson said.



Grossi Wants to Meet with Iran’s Pezeshkian ‘at Earliest Convenience’

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi speaks to the media at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, US, March 15, 2023. (Reuters)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi speaks to the media at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, US, March 15, 2023. (Reuters)
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Grossi Wants to Meet with Iran’s Pezeshkian ‘at Earliest Convenience’

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi speaks to the media at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, US, March 15, 2023. (Reuters)
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi speaks to the media at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, US, March 15, 2023. (Reuters)

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi announced he intends to visit Tehran through a letter he addressed to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iranian Mehr Agency reported that Grossi sent a congratulatory message to the Iranian president-elect, which stated: “I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to you on your election win as President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

“Cooperation between the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Islamic Republic of Iran has been at the focal attention of the international circles for many years. I am confident that, together, we will be able to make decisive progress on this crucial matter.”

“To that effect, I wish to express my readiness to travel to Iran to meet with you at the earliest convenience,” Iran’s Mehr news agency quoted Grossi as saying.

The meeting – should it take place - will be the first for Pezeshkian, who had pledged during his election campaign to be open to the West to resolve outstanding issues through dialogue.

Last week, American and Israeli officials told the Axios news site that Washington sent a secret warning to Tehran last month regarding its fears of Iranian research and development activities that might be used to produce nuclear weapons.

In May, Grossi expressed his dissatisfaction with the course of the talks he held over two days in Iran in an effort to resolve outstanding matters.

Since the death of the former Iranian president, Ibrahim Raisi, the IAEA chief refrained from raising the Iranian nuclear file, while European sources said that Tehran had asked to “freeze discussions” until the internal situation was arranged and a new president was elected.