Ukrainian Foreign Minister: Western Fighter Jet Coalition To Form This Year
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, said on Wednesday that a coalition of nations working to supply Ukraine with Western fighter jets will be formed this year.
In an appearance on Ukrainian television, Kuleba said that some of Ukraine’s allies had expressed their willingness to train Ukrainian pilots and ground crews on Western fighters, while some other allies were willing to provide the aircraft. “This is all the result of the international trips made by the president and all of us who work on the diplomatic front. Our priority is the F-16, but we are not canceling other aircraft options. It’s like with tanks”, said Kuleba on the United News information telethon, adding that “everything will happen very quickly” once the coalition is formed.
Kyiv has repeatedly sought for the supply of F-16s in particular following Russia’s full scale invasion, stating that it needs aircraft more capable than its Soviet-era fighters and ground attack aircraft to better repel Russian aircraft employing glide bombs and other long range weaponry. Washington, however, has publicly refused requests to transfer its F-16s to date, stating that it is focusing on meeting immediate Ukrainian needs for munitions and armored vehicles.
Kuleba’s comments follow a statement by a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday that the UK and the Netherlands would be working together to form an international coalition that will provide Ukraine with “combat air capabilities” ranging from training to supply of F-16s. Sky News has quoted British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace as saying that the UK’s role would be in enabling suppliers of Western aircraft and supplying training and support “within limits” due to the UK not having F-16 pilots or operating the fighters during a Wednesday joint press conference with German defense minister Boris Pistorius, while Pistorius said that Germany could not play an “active role” as it also did not have F-16s, a training program for them and relevant competencies.
The announcement by Sunak’s office followed a Monday meeting between the Prime Minister and Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky on Monday at Chequers. Ahead of the meeting at the Prime Minister’s country home, London announced that it would commence a training course equipping Ukrainian pilots with the basic skills needed to operate Western aircraft in the summer, alongside pledging additional air defense missiles, as well as “hundreds” of long-range attack drones with a range of over 200 kilometers.
Also on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that France was willing to help train Ukrainian pilots, saying during a televised interview that “the training can start from now”.
Update 19 May 2023
It has been reported that the Biden administration has signalled to European allies, who operate F-16, that the US won’t block the third-party transfer of the fighter aircraft to Ukraine. While the US has no current plans to provide aircraft or training the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July may see greater discussion around how to provide Ukraine with both aircraft and training.