Germany are looking into how best to support a F-16 fighter jet coalition to supply jets and train Ukrainian pilots.
Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that they contribution would be very small because they do not own any F-16s.
The US Air Force secretary Fank Kendall has said it will take “several months at best” for Ukraine to receive the fighter jets.
According to CNN Kendal told reporters at the Defense Writers Group, “It’s been in the works, and there’s obviously been interest from Ukraine in getting that kind of capability.
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“We are not under any circumstances going to get F-16s or another Western fighter in significant numbers into the hands of the Ukrainian Air Force in something less than at least several months.”
The US President Joe Biden made the U-turn last week to allow Ukraine to receive the F-16s after President Volodymyr Zelenksy promised that the jets will not be used inside Russia.
A US official said at the G7, “As the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, speaking at an address at Boston College said, “This is a capability that we definitely need.”
However the US has not given ant decisions on when, how many, and who will supply the F-16s and some military experts have suggest it could take a year for Ukraine to receive them
Some military experts have suggested it could take up to a year before the fighter jets will be
Markarova criticised Russia’s invasion and she described it as “a genocidal attack aimed to destroy Ukraine’s statehood.”
She added, “A strong, successful, democratic, European Ukraine is the worst nightmare Russia had.”
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