US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that European allies, including Portugal, are coordinating to train Ukrainian pilots in F-16 fighters, but the Pentagon warns they won’t be a “magic solution” against the Russian invaders.
“There Are No Magic Weapons”said Army General Mark Milley, chief of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaking alongside Austin at a press conference at the Pentagon, noting that supplying 10 F-16s could cost $2 billion, including maintenance.
“The Russians have 1,000 fourth- and fifth-generation fighters, so if you want to beat Russia in the air, you need a significant number of fourth- and fifth-generation fighters.”he declared.
As a result, he continued, the Allies did the right thing by first providing Ukraine with a significant amount of integrated air defense to cover the battlefield.
Regarding the F-16s, he said they have a future role as part of Ukraine’s air defense, but “it will take a long time to build an air force of the necessary size, capability and scale”.
Austin said the allies recognized that, in addition to training, Ukraine also needs to support and maintain aircraft and have sufficient ammunition, but warned that air defense systems are still the weapons Kiev needs most to control its airspace.
Austin said that the Dutch and Danish defense ministers are working with the United States on this effort and that Norway, Belgium, Portugal and Poland have also offered to contribute to the training. In addition, he said that the Allies will create a fund so that other countries can contribute.
“We hope that more countries will join this important initiative”Austin appealed, adding that training is “an important example of long-term commitment to the security of Ukraine”.
Earlier in the day, at the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group meeting in Washington, Austin said he expects training of Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 fighter jets to begin in the coming weeks, giving Ukraine a long-term future. are supported. not necessarily as part of a spring counter-offensive against Russia.
Austin and Milley spoke at the end of that virtual gathering of dozens of countries to discuss military aid to Ukraine. Ukrainian leaders gave an update on the war effort and the military gaps their troops face. Austin said the biggest of these remains ground-based air defense.
“We will have to push ourselves and keep looking for creative ways to increase our industrial capacity”Austin said before defense leaders began their private session. “The stakes are high. But the cause is just and our will is strong.”.
European leaders have said they are in talks about which countries could have F-16s available. The United States has long been hesitant to supply Ukraine with advanced aircraft, and last weekend President Joe Biden agreed to allow other countries to send their own fighter jets to Kiev.
‘We hope that the training will start in the coming weeks’Austin said. “It will further strengthen and enhance the long-term capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force. And it will complement our short- and medium-term security arrangements. This new joint effort sends a strong signal of our unit and our long-term commitment to self-defense. of Ukraine”.
Several European allies have expressed their support for the training of Ukrainian pilots in recent days.
Portugal is available to train Ukrainian F-16 pilots, but for now it is ruling out the possibility of sending planes, claiming it has “no unlimited number” of these devices.
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
