Norway will train Ukrainian pilots for F-16 jets

2023-05-25 08:32:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Norway will train Ukrainian pilots for F-16 jets

Illustrative photo

Norway will support training programs for Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets, Norwegian Defense Minister Bjoern Arild Gram said on Wednesday.

"The government supports this initiative and is considering how Norway can contribute together with allies and partners," Gram said.

However, the Norwegian government has not decided whether to give Ukraine any of its F-16 jets, the minister said.

The Netherlands also said it is ready to train Ukrainian pilots for the F-16 jets as soon as possible, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said in a letter to parliament on Wednesday (May 24th).

The training will be coordinated with Belgium, Denmark and the United Kingdom, and other countries may join, Ollongren added.

On Tuesday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said training Ukrainian pilots on Western F-16 fighter jets would not make NATO a party to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Last Friday, US President Joe Biden approved training programs for Ukrainian F-16 pilots, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured Biden that the planes would not be used to attack targets inside Russian territory.

The West says it wants to help Ukraine defeat Russia, but has repeatedly insisted it does not want to trigger a direct confrontation between the NATO military alliance and Russia.

Russia, which launched its invasion of Ukraine 15 months ago, has said transferring US-made F-16 jets to Ukraine would serve no purpose and call into question NATO's role in the conflict.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022. President Putin calls the war a "special military operation" to demilitarize Ukraine.

The West has responded to Russia, hitting the economy of this country with harsh sanctions.

As a result of the war, thousands of people have died and millions more have been displaced from their homes./ Rel