Reznikov: at the meeting in the Ramstein format, we intend to discuss the training of pilots and technicians of Ukraine
Training of pilots, technicians and engineers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to work with Western aircraft will be discussed at the next meeting of the contact group on military assistance to Kiev in the Ramstein format. This was announced on Monday, June 12, by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Alexey Reznikov.
"During the meeting, we will discuss the details of the "airplane coalition". In this case, we are still talking about training pilots — and not only pilots, but also our technicians and engineers who will be engaged in aircraft maintenance. Because this is a very complex system," said Reznikov, whose words are quoted in the Telegram channel of the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.
He added that, in particular, the issues will be discussed with the teams of the Ministries of Defense of the Netherlands, Denmark, the United States and other countries that have joined this coalition.
According to Reznikov, another important issue for Kiev is the need to open joint repair points with the West for the provided equipment. He pointed out that not only the supplies of weapons and equipment themselves are important, but also Ukraine's ability to repair and maintain it.
"Therefore, an important issue for us is the opening of various types of hubs for the repair and equipping of equipment. Both on the territory of Ukraine together with partners, and in friendly border countries," Reznikov said.
At the previous meeting of the contact group at the Ramstein base, which took place on May 25, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin said that training of Ukrainian pilots to control American F-16 fighters could begin in the coming weeks. A day earlier, the American magazine Foreign Policy wrote that the initial training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters will take place in the UK. The first phase will be completed by 20 pilots. They will undergo ground basic training, after which they will be ready for more in-depth training on fighters.
On May 23, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said that deliveries of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine will be carried out in the long term. At the same time, the newspaper Politico wrote that the Netherlands could become the first European country to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
On May 22, Belgium also confirmed its readiness to train Ukrainians to pilot the F-16.
In the same month, the President of the United States of America Biden announced that he had outlined to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky the plans of Western countries to train pilots to fly F-16 and other military aircraft. Zelensky in response thanked Biden for the financial assistance provided to Kiev, which has already amounted to $37 billion, and for a new package of military equipment.
Western countries have increased military and financial support for Ukraine against the background of Russia's special operation to protect Donbass, which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, amid the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.
