NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says that preparations for the training of Ukrainian pilots in F-16 fighter jets “are already well advanced” and that the training will begin “during the summer”.
Jens Stoltenberg confirms that from this formation “there will be decisions” for the delivery of combat aircraft to Ukraine.
Portugal and a dozen other NATO countries signed a declaration on Tuesday making official the commitment to increase the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian air force. Stoltenberg welcomes the initiative which begins in the coming weeks.
“This is an initiative originally started by the Netherlands and Denmark, a group of NATO allies have created a coalition to train Ukrainian F 16 fighter pilots. I am pleased that several other allies have now joined this initiative.” , said.
The NATO Secretary General considered that the initiative in which Portugal participates, to train F-16 pilots, will strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities, since “it will later allow the decision to supply F-16s to be made.”
“Training begins as soon as possible,” he said, assuring that “based on that fact, there will be decisions on the supply of combat aircraft.”
Jens Stoltenberg says that there is no fixed date yet, but training will start very soon and “some preparations have already been made.” “What the allies have informed us is that the training will indeed begin this summer,” he reiterated.
Stoltenberg was speaking with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said in Vilnius, Lithuania, that he wants to be “in tune” with the members of the Atlantic Alliance on the invitation to join. Zelensky said that he was in Vilnius to defend three priorities on the Ukrainian agenda.
“The first is the weapons package. New weapon packs to support our armed forces on the battlefield. The second is an invitation to [aderir] to NATO”, said Zelensky, referring to the fact that also in relation to this point “we want to be in tune with all [os aliados da NATO]”.
Source: TSF
