Russia may not hope that support for Ukraine from allies will decrease, and evidence of this is the decision of allies to train Ukrainian pilots, NATO Secretary General who joined the meeting of EU defense ministers told reporters. European countries participating in the aviation coalition are now preparing to teach pilots to operate the F-16, says Radio Liberty correspondent Zorianya Stepanenko for TSN.

To introduce a modern combat fleet, teach to fly it and fight. This is what the aviation coalition will focus on first. The Danish Ministry of Defence (it is among the countries ready to train) expects that they will be able to start in the summer, when the necessary formalities are settled. The course, the Danish minister noted, can last up to six months before Ukrainian pilots can use the F-16. Other EU countries are slowly voicing their desire to join the trainings, regarding the so-called aviation coalition, which do not yet formally belong to. Among them is Poland, which has experience in training tankers and artillerymen. "We are ready, the Polish side is ready to train pilots on F-16 aircraft. Such training has not yet begun, but we are ready to conduct it. I have proposed that this type of training be included in the EU training mission. Let's not hide: this is a tool that will also compensate for the cost of training the Ukrainian military," says Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak.

Sources of the publication "Politico" from Eastern and Central Europe do not exclude that in the fall Ukraine may receive fighters. Although formally, none of the countries ready to teach pilots was obliged to supply Ukraine with jets. Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov assumed that the Netherlands could be the first. But the head of their Ministry of Defense noted the day before: this is not the right time. First, skills to practice with a modern combat fleet. "There must be pilots who know how to fight and fly these aircraft. The next step is to search for the actual aircraft. But like I said, that's the next step. We will continue to discuss the next step with our allies and countries that may have F-16s. But it's not on the table now," Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren said.

The training of pilots will allow the member states of the "fighter" coalition to then decide on the transfer of aircraft, says the NATO Secretary General, who met with EU defense ministers on behalf of the Alliance the day before. Aviation progress sees as a signal confirming long-term support for Ukraine by partners, which Russia said would not be able to "wait." Meanwhile, under another initiative, the transfer of a million ammunition from EU warehouses to Ukraine during the year, a fifth of the promised, it has already received. According to the head of European diplomacy, 220 thousand artillery shells of various calibers and 1300 missiles were sent.

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