Poland willing to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s within EU mission - Blaszczak

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Poland Mariusz Błaszczak said this during a press conference in Brussels on Tuesday after the EU defense ministerial, Ukrinform's own correspondent reports.

Such training has not yet started, Błaszczak stressed.

The Polish minister noted that he proposed that such training be included in the EU training mission, which is carried out by Polish instructors jointly with their European counterparts.

This is an excellent example, the minister believes, of European countries' cooperation in providing assistance to Ukraine.

According to him, the tool of the EU training mission will also allow returning the funds spent on the training of Ukrainian pilots.

Błaszczak noted that additional information would be provided about the actual start of the training program.

The Polish minister said that the number of Ukrainian war pilots who can train in Poland will depend on Poland's capabilities and responsibilities, as the country also bears the task of protecting NATO's eastern borders, in particular the airspace of the Baltic states.

He added that Warsaw was open to proposals from other EU countries to join the Ukrainian military training mission in Poland.

As reported earlier, the Polish government confirmed to the agency information about the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft in Poland.

EU High Representative Josep Borrell said Tuesday morning that training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s is starting in several countries. When asked by journalists where exactly the training will start, Borrell cited Poland as an example, stopping short of further comments.

Photo: norad.mil