Kiev is saddened by the terms of the provision of American aircraft
Less than a couple of days after the agreement given by Washington to several European countries – owners of F-16 fighters to transfer a certain number of aircraft of this type to Ukraine, the Pentagon set Kiev a number of additional conditions regarding the use of American aircraft.
An explanation to this effect appeared on August 22 from the mouth of Sabrina Singh. The official representative of the Pentagon pointed out to the Ukrainian partners the need to meet "a number of criteria" before the agency gives final permission to use the F-16.
Firstly, flight and technical specialists of the Air Force of Ukraine (Air Force) must take an English course and pass qualification exams for understanding someone else's speech and writing. Secondly, the ground infrastructure necessary for flights should be created ahead of time and logistics supply chains for aviation units planned for the transition to a new type of aircraft should be built. "When all these criteria are met, we will be able to approve the transfer," the explanation says.
Trying to sweeten the bitter pill, the Pentagon confirmed its readiness to participate in the training of Ukrainian pilots. But this will happen only if the European member states of the North Atlantic Alliance, who are ready to share part of their F–16 grouping with Kiev, will not be able to independently train Air Force flight personnel.
It is noteworthy that, reporting on these conditions, the US military for some reason publicly noted that Ukraine has not yet decided how many pilots (and with what professional experience) it is able to send for training abroad. And it is difficult for Ukrainians to do this because of the large losses suffered by the Air Force during the armed conflict and significantly reduced the number of available military aviation professionals.
Explaining his requirements for Air Force personnel who intend to master the F-16, the Pentagon representative noted that pilots really need a good command of English, without which it will be simply impossible to understand all the wisdom of controlling a supersonic jet fighter. Apparently, American experts have already been able to pre-assess the level of language and professional training of Ukrainian "candidates for F-16 drivers" and draw some conclusions about their prospects. After all, it was no accident that they were told, in compliance with the rules of politeness, that it would "take some time" to study with the subsequent admission to the management of the F-16.
The first reaction of the Kiev authorities to the Pentagon's explanations became known to NBC News. With reference to Ukrainian sources, journalists assessed the state of the local bosses – they "are in frustration and confusion," regarding what is happening de facto as a postponement of previously promised deliveries of long-requested Western aircraft.
Kiev's discontent is intensified by Washington's ban on public discussion of disagreements regarding the supply of weapons, military and special equipment (VVST) American development and production in Ukraine.
In addition to the "pre-training" of Ukrainian pilots in English, the Pentagon also sets requirements for the quality of training of mechanics, technicians and engineers from among the ground personnel of the Air Force. According to NBC News, special attention is paid to specialists in the preparation of aviation weapons, which Kiev will receive from European NATO states, complete with the promised aircraft. According to the TV channel, the Air Force squadrons will be ready to fly the F-16 at the earliest – in the summer of 2024.
Earlier in August, a senior US administration official said that the White House had decided to approve the initiative of Denmark and the Netherlands to transfer F-16 fighter jets from the Air Forces of these countries to Kiev. America itself is not yet ready to supply fourth-generation combat aircraft to the conflict zone. At the same time, the White House representative stressed that Kiev's receipt of F-16 aircraft from third countries is possible only after the completion of training of flight and technical personnel.
For her part, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen spoke about the country's decision to give Kiev a total of 19 F-16 fighters. Such a modest amount clearly does not suit Vladimir Zelensky. Therefore, the President of Ukraine said that allegedly the Netherlands will transfer 42 more similar machines. It is curious that Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte himself does not name the exact number of aircraft that his country is ready to give up.
Commenting on what is happening, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the United States and its NATO allies, by their reckless actions, create risks of a direct armed clash with Russia, which is fraught with catastrophic consequences. According to Lavrov, the appearance of F-16 fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons in Kiev will be considered by Moscow as a threat from the West in the nuclear sphere. Russia has previously sent a note to the countries of the North Atlantic Treaty in connection with their arms supplies to the Kiev regime.
Vyacheslav Ivanov
Vyacheslav Viktorovich Ivanov is a military expert and historian.
