West sends signal to Putin by training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s - Scholz
The decision to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, which was made by U.S. President Joe Biden, is a signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that he will not achieve his goal by continuing the war.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said this in a video interview with the Welt TV channel, according to Ukrinform.
"First of all, this is a signal to the Russian president not to expect to achieve his goal simply by waging a war that lasts as long as possible. Allies are ready to provide long-term support to Ukraine," Scholz said.
He added that Germany does not have F-16 jets and is focused mainly on providing Ukraine with air defense, armored vehicles and heavy artillery. So currently, there is no question of Germany training Ukrainian pilots, he said.
Commenting on threats from Moscow over fighter jets for Ukraine, Scholz noted that similar threats had also been made before.
"It is important that we act only in agreement with each other, there are no 'national' initiatives, and we make sure that there is no escalation that will lead to a war between Russia and NATO," Scholz said.
He again demanded that Russia stop the war and withdraw its troops from Ukraine. He urged everyone else not to forget that Russia is trying to incorporate a large part of Ukraine by force of arms. The Kremlin should not succeed in such plans, because it violates the international peace order and endangers peace and security in the world, the politician said.
When asked about Ukraine's future membership in NATO, Scholz recalled the 2008 summit in Bucharest where a long-term perspective for Ukraine was formulated.
"It is clear to everyone that this [Ukraine's membership of NATO] will not happen in the foreseeable future. This is also because NATO's criteria contain a great number of requirements that Ukraine cannot fulfill at the moment," the chancellor said.
At the same time, he noted that in the future it would be necessary to talk about security guarantees. These guarantees include the question of how heavily the partners will arm Ukraine in the future. After the war, Ukraine will be equipped with Western-made weapons, the politician added.
Scholz said that security guarantees would have to be discussed later. But, in his opinion, there is still a long way to go.
Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine