Pictured: Staff Sgt. Sean Carnes Worldwide
On April 21, a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine was held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The meeting was referred to as “on guard”. Again, Kiev’s full support has been announced, but they will not give fighter jets to the Ukrainian armed forces, reports Moskovsky Komsomolets.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius believes that fighters from German stocks are unsuitable for use in the conflict between Kiev and Moscow.
- Ukrainian pilots are helped, first of all, by fast-flying planes, which can be maintained on the spot. Each new aircraft complicates pilot training or advanced training, – said the German representative.
For the same reason, the United States does not want to supply F-16 fighters to the Ukrainian armed forces, citing the difficulties in maintaining the machines, the lack of necessary infrastructure in Ukraine and the long delay in training local pilots.
“Above all, Ukraine now needs ground-based anti-aircraft systems,” US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said after the Ramstein meeting.
According to the head of the Pentagon, Germany and the Netherlands will hand over mine-clearing equipment, tankers and other vehicles for military needs to Kiev. Abrams tanks will be sent from the United States to Germany so that the Ukrainians can learn how to use them.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg again pledged the Zelenskyy regime full military support at the meeting. And the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, pointed out that the European Union has engaged in joint purchases of ammunition for 2 billion euros. But there are difficulties due to disagreements within the EU.
US Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said that after training in Europe, 8,000 soldiers have returned to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Another 25,000 Ukrainians continue to be trained.
Earlier, Glavny Regionalny reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were preparing a trap for Russian planes in the special operation zone.
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