Training Ukrainian pilots to fly US-made F-16 fighter jets will “greatly strengthen our military in the air,” President Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed US President Joe Biden’s decision to support the training of Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 fighter jets, saying it would “greatly strengthen our airborne military”.
Zelenskyy described the plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets as a “historic decision”, and said he would discuss the details with Biden when they meet at the G7 summit in the Japanese city of Hiroshima – the Ukrainian leader’s last international trip, which was confirmed on Saturday.
“I am counting on discussing the practical implementation of this decision at the #G7 summit in Hiroshima,” Zelenskyy said in a tweet.
Biden told G7 leaders on Friday that Washington supports joint allied training programs for Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 fighter jets, senior US officials told Reuters news agency.
I welcome the historic decision of the United States and @POTUS in support of an international fighter jet coalition. This will greatly strengthen our army in the air. I count on the practical implementation of this decision on the #G7 summit in Hiroshima.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 19, 2023
Zelenskyy has been calling for months for advanced fighter jets to support Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion. But the Ukrainian leader has so far been rejected by his Western allies, who fear that providing Ukraine with advanced offensive weapons could lead to an escalation by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the spread of the war in Europe.
As Ukraine has upgraded its air defenses with a host of Western-supplied anti-aircraft systems and prepares to launch a counter-offensive against Russian forces, officials believe the fighter jets could become useful in Ukraine’s battle with Moscow and essential to the country’s long struggle . term security.
Poland and Slovakia transferred 27 older MiG-29s to Ukraine.
Al Jazeera’s John Psaropoulos reports that air defense experts say US-built F-16 fighter jets would give Ukraine an edge over the Russian air force, but only when combined with powerful missiles and targeted intelligence, which the West should also provide.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his country would work with the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark “to give Ukraine the combat air capability it needs”.
Denmark also said it would help train Ukrainians to fly F-16s, the country’s defense minister said after Washington announced it would support such an initiative.
Denmark’s acting defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen said his country “can now make progress for a collective contribution to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s”. Denmark will prioritize working with its allies to support the plan, he said, praising Biden’s decision to approve the plan.
Lund Poulsen did not say whether Denmark would be among those countries that supply the fighter jets to Ukraine. The Danish Air Force has about 40 F-16s, of which about 30 are operational. It has recently started taking delivery of the more advanced F-35 fighters.
Ukraine, which has no Western-design jets, says its F-16s are far more effective than the Soviet-era fighters it currently deploys.
The fighters’ training will take place in Europe and will take months, US officials told Reuters news agency. The US officials estimate the fastest time frame required for training and delivery of F-16s to be about 18 months.
Biden’s green light for F-16 training is the latest shift from the US administration as it scrambles to arm Ukraine with more advanced and lethal weapons, following earlier decisions to send HIMAR missile launcher systems, Patriots air defense systems and Abrams tanks .
The US has insisted on sending weapons to Ukraine to defend itself and has discouraged attacks by Ukraine on Russian soil.
The G7 leaders also used the first day of their summit on Friday to roll out a new wave of global sanctions against Moscow, as well as plans to increase the effectiveness of existing financial sanctions designed to limit Putin’s war effort .
“Our support for Ukraine will not diminish,” the G7 leaders said in a statement released after closed meetings.
They vowed to “stand together against Russia’s illegal, unjustified and unprovoked aggressive war against Ukraine”.
“Russia started this war and can end this war,” they said.