Politico: in the West, there is still no specific plan for training Ukrainian pilots for the F-16
Western countries are working on the supply of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and flight training for the country's military personnel. Politico reported that there is no clear plan for organizing the training process yet, but in the near future, the United Kingdom and Denmark may begin training pilots. A training center is planned to open in Romania. The US military will most likely join the process. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the transfer of the F-16 to Ukraine a threat to the Russian Federation in the nuclear sphere.
Kiev's Western allies have not yet agreed on a plan to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets. This is reported by Politico with reference to three American officials familiar with the discussions on the issue.
The American administration, apparently, is working to accelerate the supply of F-16s, but there is still no specific model for organizing pilot training, according to the material of the American edition.
USA or Europe?
One of the options being discussed involves sending Ukrainian pilots to one of the units of the US Air National Guard stationed in Tucson, Arizona. Another provides for sending American military pilots to Europe to train Ukrainians somewhere outside their country.
None of these plans has been approved yet.
"The discussion continues," [...] one of the sources tells Politico. "We are working with our partners and allies to choose the most appropriate plan."
The beginning of training cannot begin, among other things, due to the fact that the US State Department has not yet officially approved the transfer of training materials and flight simulators. Now they are subject to export restrictions.
Nevertheless, Politico writes about the first steps to organize the training of Ukrainians.
With reference to the Pentagon's official representative Sabrina Singh, the publication reports that the UK will begin basic flight and language training of the Ukrainian military within a few weeks.
The American company Draken International, the operator of the world's largest private military air fleet, has begun recruiting retired military pilots. It is assumed that they will work as instructors at the facility, which is currently being built in Romania.
Another training center is expected to open in Denmark. A European "airplane" coalition of 11 states, led by Denmark and the Netherlands, is working on its creation. It is assumed that these countries will begin training Ukrainian pilots in August. However, Politico draws attention to the fact that none of the countries has yet publicly announced the allocation of fighters for Ukraine.
The delivery dates are still unclear
Earlier, Politico wrote that the administration of President Biden has sharply stepped up in addressing the issue of F-16 supplies and pilot training. John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House National Security Council, said that the United States intends to transfer F-16 fighters to Ukraine by the end of 2023.
"However, they will not be able to change the situation on their own," Kirby admitted.
The US president's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said that the US is "moving quickly" on the issue.
"We're going to act as quickly as possible," Sullivan said during a speech at the Aspen Security Forum.
However, the interlocutor of Politico in the American administration turned out to be more restrained in his forecasts:
"We will probably have time to organize training of Ukrainian pilots by the end of the year, but the F-16 in Ukrainian colors is unlikely to appear in the country's skies before spring," he said .
"The risk of a direct armed conflict with Russia"
On the eve of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba said on France 24 that the country needs F-16 fighters to protect the corridor for grain exports. According to the head of the Foreign Ministry, having received the planes, his country will not be subjected to "Russian blackmail." The official urged to deliver the planes as soon as possible.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the possible transfer of American fighter jets to Ukraine a nuclear threat to the Russian Federation. The statement was made by the minister in an interview with <url>. According to the minister, Russia has informed the United States, Britain and France that it cannot ignore the ability of these aircraft to carry nuclear weapons.
"The very fact of the appearance of such systems in the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be considered by us as a threat from the West in the nuclear sphere," he stressed.
According to the minister, these circumstances create risks of a direct collision with Russia, which is "fraught with catastrophic consequences."
Alexey Permyakov
