Warsaw is ready to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s if Kyiv asks

Head of the Bureau of International Policy under the President of Poland Marcin Przydach said this on Polish Radio, Ukrinform reports.

"Other allied countries can also demonstrate a little more willingness to help and support Ukraine. Poland has already done a lot in this regard. We do not plan to transfer F-16 aircraft (to Ukraine - ed.), but as for the exercises, if a good request and a good offer is made by the Ukrainian side, we will certainly consider it, but not on the basis of taken for granted," Przydacz said.

As Ukrinform reported, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that during a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, specific commitments were reached by the Alliance allies to organize specialized training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft, which would pave the way for the delivery of these aircraft to Ukraine.

On July 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that there is no schedule for training Ukrainian pilots on Western F-16s and that some foreign partners are delaying.

On July 4, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force Yuriy Ihnat said that representatives of the Air Force command and other agencies were abroad studying bases and consulting with partners: where, on what grounds, and who will train Ukrainian pilots. The Aviation Coalition, in consultation with the Ukrainian side, is "working on planning and scheduling."

On July 20, Ihnat said that a group of Ukrainian pilots is already preparing to start training on F-16 fighter jets, which will begin in Denmark at the end of the summer.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Thomas Meneguin