More than a year after the start of the war in Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, European governments and other kyiv allies continue to discuss handing over long-range weapons and fighter jets for Ukraine to defend itself from Russia.
This Tuesday, The United Kingdom assured that it seeks to forge an “international coalition” to deliver the F-16 fighters that Ukraine claims to resist the invasion.
This was stated by the British government after a meeting between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte.
The two leaders, who met on the sidelines of the Council of Europe summit in Iceland, “agreed to work together to build an international coalition with a view to ensuring Ukraine air combat capabilities (…), from training to delivery of F-16 aircraft”.
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What do the UK and Germany say?
However, this Wednesday British, Ben Wallace, and German, Boris Pistorius, defense ministers ruled out supplying fighters to Ukraine due to lack of availability of suitable aircraft.
“We will not supply combat aircraft to Ukraine,” Wallace declared in an appearance before the press at the Ministry of Defense in Berlin.
He added that the Eurofighter Typhoon “would be an aircraft that is not suitable” and stressed that “it is not about donating weapons systems, but about providing a platform.”
(Also: Missiles and attack drones: UK offers more weapons to the Ukrainian army)
“We shouldn’t put planes there now that we don’t have or that aren’t suitable. I think that after the war, when we talk about resilience, it’s important that we build the capabilities that are needed there,” he insisted.
He added that, for deterrence, in the future Ukraine will need more capabilities in the field of combat fighters and it is about doing everything possible so that in the long term the country “can also defend itself in the air, regardless of the type of plane it wants to buy.”
He stressed that Ukraine has a preference for the F-16, something that, he recalled, the United Kingdom does not have in its inventory.
We should not put there now planes that we do not have or that are not suitable
For now The United Kingdom can support, for example, the Storm Shadow missiles, in the same way that Germany and other countries have already supplied other air defense systems, he added.
Pistorius agreed with Wallace in reiterating that, in terms of the quality and quantity of Germany’s support for
Ukraine, what it is all about is “providing things that can be used immediately or in the shortest possible time”.
The main thing is to supply what is most urgently needed and, at the same time, what is sustainable, both in terms of logistics and maintenance and repair, he stressed.
Germany does not have F-16 fighters and neither Tornado nor Eurofighter are suitable to help Ukraine in the short term, especially considering the complexity of training and many other aspects, he added.
He stressed that Germany is an expert in tanks and anti-aircraft defense and a leader in these areas in support of Ukraine. “We are focusing on Ukraine’s air defense and supplying more ammunition. We are focusing on maintenance of the tanks we have supplied,” she stressed.
Zelensky has been demanding the delivery of planes from his Western allies for months that allows Ukraine to hit Russian troops in depth.
On Monday, the Ukrainian president reiterated his call for a “coalition for planes” in London, saying he was “optimistic” about it.
However, obtaining these fighters will be more difficult. This Wednesday, the defense ministers of the United Kingdom and Germany also assured that the decision to deliver F-16 fighters to Ukraine corresponds to the White House.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP and EFE
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