Espreso Global Military news Portugal to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s – Zelenskyy

Portugal to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s – Zelenskyy

24 August, 2023 Thursday

18:36

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Portugal would join the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s

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The President of Ukraine reported news after talks with Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Kyiv on August 24, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

"Portugal is a member of our tank and aviation coalition. Today, Portugal has confirmed its readiness to join the training of Ukrainian pilots and engineers on F-16 aircraft," he said.

The president also noted that the heads of state discussed opportunities for expanding defense cooperation.

"We also discussed opportunities for expanding defense cooperation, in particular, the supply of armored medical equipment and demining equipment to Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.

In addition, Portugal joined the G7 declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine.

"We are grateful that Portugal has supported the Peace Formula and is participating in joint work with partners in the preparation of the Ukraine-Latin America and Ukraine-Africa summits," he said.

F-16 fighters for Ukraine

On May 21, US President Joe Biden approved the training of Ukrainians on F-16s. Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured that Ukraine would not use these aircraft to strike at Russian territory.
Defense Ministry adviser Yuriy Sak said that Ukraine hopes to receive the first modern American F-16 fighters in the fall of 2023.
On May 25, at a meeting in the Ramstein format, it was announced that the coalition to train the Ukrainian Armed Forces with F-16s would be led by Denmark and the Netherlands and would include four other countries: Norway, Belgium, Portugal, and Poland.
On June 14, one of the leaders of the "aviation coalition," the Netherlands, announced that training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s would begin in the coming months.
On June 15, following the Ramstein meeting, Stoltenberg said that training on the F-16 had already begun. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin noted the rapid progress in this area, and a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force said that they wanted a quick result, but that "the process is delayed."
On June 22, Denmark requested assistance from the United States to train Ukrainian pilots in the use of F-16 fighters.
On July 1, President Zelenskyy mentioned that the schedule for training Ukrainian pilots on Western F-16 fighter jets has not been finalized yet, and some foreign partners are causing delays.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says that the first F-16 fighter jets are likely to fly in Ukraine's skies by the end of March 2024.
On Sunday, July 16, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the US would not postpone training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, and Biden allowed European countries to start training.
On August 11, it was reported that the first group of Ukrainian pilots would complete training on F-16 fighter jets no earlier than next summer. The start of combat training will be preceded by 4-month language courses.
Subsequently, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi met with the Chief of Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces in Ukraine. Among the topics discussed was pilot training on F-16 fighter jets.
And Romanian President Klaus Iohannis confirmed that the country will train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s: a regional training center will be opened there.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat announced on August 17 that Ukraine won't be able to get F-16 fighters from Western allies during the upcoming fall or winter. Therefore, the focus will be on bolstering air defense capabilities. Concurrently, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed optimism about the prospect of providing F-16s to Ukraine, while Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hinted at forthcoming positive news.
On August 20 Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to the Netherlands to discuss the supply of F-16 fighter jets with Prime Minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte: according to the president, a "breakthrough agreement" was reached. Netherlands will send 42 F-16 fighters to Ukraine
On Sunday, August 20, Volodymyr Zelenskyy disclosed that the Netherlands would provide Ukraine with 42 F-16 fighter jets, while Denmark committed to delivering 19 aircraft.
On August 21, Zelenskyy announced that Greece had also joined the so-called "aviation coalition" and would train Ukrainian pilots.
It also became known that the United States is ready to teach Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s if European countries do not keep up with the training process.