Zelenskyy: Greece joins G7 declaration and agrees to train Ukrainian F-16 pilots

This is reported by "Ukrinform".

Following negotiations with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, this decision was reached.

"Today, we achieved a significant aircraft coalition outcome: Greece will participate in the training of our F-16 pilots," stated the Ukrainian president.

He also expressed gratitude to Greece for their forthcoming defense assistance and highlighted that the pertinent details are presently under discussion.

"I outlined specific measures that could hasten the end of this dreadful aggression," Zelenskyy commented.

Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the President’s Office, revealed that President Zelenskyy signed a joint declaration on Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration together with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens.

"This is a robust and explicit declaration with a definitive conclusion: the Hellenic Republic stands behind Ukraine's quest for NATO membership," Zhovkva emphasized.

He also added that Greece recently joined the G7 Joint Declaration on Security Guarantees for Ukraine.

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 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.

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Greece on Monday, August 21, to participate in the Ukraine-Balkans summit.