AndThis political declaration was signed by Portugal, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom, who “share the conviction that continued support for Ukraine is of paramount importance” in the face of aggression from Russia.
“The parties agree that, in order to assist Ukraine in defending its airspace, they will form a joint training consortium for the Ukrainian Air Force to operate and maintain F-16 fighters, subject to the necessary licenses and the possibility to include other types of combat aircraft at a later stage,” the statement read. Acquired by Lusa Agency.
All exercises will be conducted outside the territory of Ukraine, establishes the declaration signed today at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, in which the Minister of National Defense, Helena Carreras, participated.
The parties agreed to begin training Ukrainian pilots, technicians, and support personnel, who would provide that country’s air force with basic capabilities to operate and maintain the F-16, which includes providing “relevant equipment, instructors, and other personnel for such training.”
“The coalition will focus on training, but will also, in due course, be prepared to consider other lines of support to ensure that Ukraine has a fully functional F-16 capability,” the statement adds.
The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksiy Reznikov, arrived this afternoon at LITEXPO, where the summit is taking place, and asked about Ukraine’s intentions, he was brief: “The goal is to join.”
Without answering further questions, the minister only said that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, would deal with the country’s dissatisfaction with representatives of the 31 countries that make up NATO.
Zelensky said today on his way to the NATO summit, in Vilnius, that it was absurd that NATO did not give an invitation date for Ukraine’s membership.
The joint effort to train F-16 pilots is being coordinated by the Netherlands and Denmark.
Two weeks ago, Zelensky criticized the delay in pilot training, at a time when the Ukrainian counter-offensive had already begun, and that he was having difficulties advancing on the ground because of the defensive lines set up by Russian forces.
Also read: Ukraine is invited to join NATO when the conditions are met
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