VILNIUS (Reuters) – A coalition of 11 nations is set to commence training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets in August. The training will take place in Denmark, with a training center being established in Romania. These developments were announced by officials on Tuesday during a NATO summit held in Lithuania.
Denmark and the Netherlands, both NATO members, have taken the lead in international efforts to train pilots and support personnel for Ukraine. Their assistance also includes aircraft maintenance and facilitating the supply of F-16s to Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia.
“Hopefully, we will witness tangible outcomes in the early months of next year,” said Denmark’s acting defense minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, during a signing ceremony with reporters in attendance.
Although no countries have yet committed to sending F-16s to Ukraine, Poland and Slovakia have already provided 27 MiG-29s to complement Ukraine’s combat aircraft fleet.
In response to the incursion by Russian forces, Kyiv embarked on a counteroffensive and has repeatedly appealed to Western nations for aircraft supply and pilot training. This is seen as crucial for effectively countering Russia’s dominance in the air.
“We must protect our civilian population, infrastructure, critical assets, and educational institutions. Therefore, the formation of this fighter jet coalition holds paramount importance for us,” stated Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov during the press briefing.
“As an optimist, I hope that within six months, we will start seeing positive outcomes,” he added.
At the summit, which is scheduled to conclude on Wednesday, NATO leaders expressed agreement that Ukraine’s future lies within the alliance. However, they stopped short of extending a formal invitation or providing a specific timetable for Ukraine’s accession, which the country has been pursuing.
(Reporting by Niklas Pollard and Justyna Pawlak)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
