Denmark hopes to begin training Ukrainian pilots in F-16 fighters by the end of next month, a process that will take about half a year and to which several of Kiev’s allied countries have already committed.
“My expectation is that we will have the formalities completed by the end of June and I hope that we can start training and (…) it will probably be an effort that will take up to six months before we have the infrastructure ready and the F-16s can fly in Ukraine”said Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.
Speaking to Danish journalists before a meeting of European ministers in Brussels, Poulsen confessed that he does not believe that the discussion about donating F-16 fighter jets to the Kiev regime will start before the end of the summer.
“I think we will only discuss a possible donation of the F-16s in the autumn. We also have to keep a close eye on the situation in Ukraine and see what is needed”he claimed.
Poulsen defended the need to split the debate into two separate parts – training pilots and donating fighter jets – and expressed confidence in the possibility of other countries participating.
“The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and the United Kingdom are ready to enter into a formal partnership in this formation. We hope that more countries will join this group,” he stated.
On Friday, Defense Minister Helena Carreiras received Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, whom she “informed of her availability to contribute to the training of pilots and technicians of F-16 aircraft” .
On Monday, the foreign minister confirmed that Portugal is available to train Ukrainian pilots, but there is no availability to send planes for now.
“Portugal is open to this opportunity. We have very good pilots and trainers, and they are available to work with colleagues from other countries who also have F-16s to train Ukrainian pilots,” said João Gomes Cravinho, after the leaving a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU), in Brussels.
Speaking to G7 leaders late last week, the President of the United States expressed his “support for a joint initiative to train Ukrainian pilots for fourth-generation fighter jets, including F-16s,” a senior White House official said. House. .
“While training takes place, our coalition of countries participating in this initiative will decide in the coming months when they will deliver aircraft, how many and who will deliver them”he added, giving the most favorable signal yet from the United States for the shipment of these devices, which Kiev had expressly requested.
The military offensive launched by Russia in Ukraine on February 24, 2022 has so far led to the flight of more than 14.7 million people – 6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than 8.2 million to European countries – according to the latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
Source: DN
