Member states of the G7 club are conducting a substantive discussion on the topic of strengthening the Ukrainian Air Force “as part of a long-term commitment to Ukraine’s self-defense”. Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to the president of the United States, announced it, writes Politico.
The official clarified that in the future Kyiv will definitely receive F-16 fighters. Washington and its allies will decide in the coming months which countries and in what quantities will transfer available F-16 fighters to the armed forces.
At the same time, the senior official did not specify how long it would take to train Ukrainian pilots to fly these planes. Everything will become clearer as the training of Ukrainians in the piloting of American-made fighter planes progresses.
Sullivan pointed out that the F-16 is not required by the Ukrainian Armed Forces for the counteroffensive now and is not in the list of the most popular weapons. But Ukraine will undoubtedly need fighters “in the future”.
At the same time, the publication notes that Ukraine hopes to receive up to 50 F-16 fighters from the West and recalls that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to create a “coalition of fighters” to receive aircraft similar to the ” tank coalition”. formed earlier to transfer Western tanks.
Note that on May 19, US President Joe Biden mentioned a possible permit to re-export F-16 fighters for deliveries to Ukraine. Moreover, the Pentagon does not object to the supply of these aircraft to the Ukrainian Armed Forces by other countries. On May 20, Zelenskyy flew to Japan to meet Biden on the sidelines of the G7 summit held in Hiroshima on the topic of NATO expansion to Asian countries.
Photos used: president.gov.ua
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