MOD chief: we are ready to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s

U.S. President Joe Biden informed G7 leaders at their summit in Japan last week that Washington would support a joint effort with allies to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. The project was backed a number of countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Portugal.

Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Mariusz Błaszczak was asked about this matter on Tuesday in Brussels. "We are ready to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft," he declared, adding that said training had not yet begun.

"We are ready to provide such training. I proposed this task be carried out within the framework of the EU mission that is being carried out in Poland," Błaszczak announced.

"I would also like to stress the very high grade this mission has received from EU agencies. This attests to the high competencies of our instructors. ... This is a perfect example of cooperation between EU countries in support of Ukraine. This is a tool that will allow to reduce the cost of training of Ukrainian soldiers," the MOD chief said.

Deputy PM Błaszczak also informed he spoke with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.

"We spoke about two things. We spoke about launching a maintenance hub for Leopard tanks that are already in Ukraine. There are some challenges ahead of us there, but I'm optimistic we shall overcome these challenges," Błaszczak said.

"We also spoke about extending presence of German Patriot systems on Polish soil. Here, I'm optimistic too. I believe minister Pistorius will visit Poland soon. We will have a chance to discuss this issue in detail," he added.

Training Ukrainian pilots on Western F-16 fighter jets does not make NATO a party to the conflict, its chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday, as allies pledged to speed uppreparations to start lessons.

Stoltenberg said Ukraine had the right to defend itself. "We help Ukraine to uphold that right," he told reporters in Brussels. "That doesn't make NATO and NATO allies a party to the conflict."

On Monday, senior Russian diplomats on Monday said the transfer of F-16 jets to Ukraine would raise the question of NATO's role in the conflict.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday endorsed training programs for Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy assured Biden that the planes would not be used to cross into Russian territory.

"This is an important step that apparently will enable us to then deliver fighter jets at some stage," said Stoltenberg, who described the move as "a very clear signal that we are there for the long term and that Russia cannot wait us out".

A fighter jet coalition of nations was meanwhile hammering out the concrete timeline for starting the training.

"We will speed up now that we have the green light," Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with her EU counterparts in Brussels.

She said the training were a coordinated effort by Belgium, Denmark, Britain, the Netherlands and other allies, and that more countries could join.

Germany said it was looking into ways to support the fighter jet coalition. "We are looking into the few options that we may theoretically have," Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said.

"But it won't be significant as we simply don't have F-16 fighter jets on our own and are unlikely to be able to help a lot in the pilot training".