Germany states that not participating in negotiations on creation of aviation coalition for Ukraine
Arno Kollatz, the spokesperson of the German Ministry of Defense, said this during a briefing, as reported by a correspondent from Ukrinform.
"For us, the question does not arise, and Germany is not participating in the negotiations regarding the creation of such a coalition. However, we welcome all initiatives that facilitate Ukraine in its defense and protection," said Kollatz.
He explained that Germany does not possess the relevant technologies, does not have aircraft to transfer, and even lacks the capacity to conduct training on such machines within its own capabilities.
At the same time, the spokesperson noted that the topic of fighter jets will presumably be one of the subjects of the negotiations between the German Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, and the British Minister of Defense, Ben Wallace, which will take place in Berlin later in the day on Wednesday, May 17th.
Overall, as noted by Kollatz, the defense of Ukraine's airspace is a priority. Germany is making its contribution by providing Ukraine with effective air defense systems, which play a significant role. Additionally, the representative of the Ministry of Defense mentioned that the experience of their Ukrainian colleagues in using these systems is beneficial for improving Germany's own defense capabilities.
He reminded that after the United States, Germany provides the largest volume of assistance.
The spokesperson added that allies and partners, along with Ukraine, are constantly discussing how to optimize assistance. The principle that prevails in the "Ramstein" format is that each participant contributes according to their capabilities and does their best. This is the strength of this format, emphasized Kollatz.
Earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, stated that he has no doubt that the aviation coalition will be formed this year.
As reported earlier, the government of Germany approved the allocation of the largest package of military assistance to Ukraine, amounting to over 2.7 billion euros.
