Ukraine: Ukraine’s President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Greece will take part in the training of Ukrainian Air Force pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets.
Greece’s offer comes after Denmark and the Netherlands announced they would supply the first United States-built F-16 warplanes to the Ukrainian Air Force.
“Today, we have an important result for the aviation coalition. Greece will participate in the training of our pilots for the F-16. I am grateful for this proposal,” Mr. Zelenskyy stated during a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens.
The Greek Air Force consists mostly of F-16 jets, and Greek pilots are considered extremely experienced in the use of the US-built warplanes.
Mr. Zelenskyy did not provide details of the pilot training programme, but officials from a coalition of 11 nations had commented that the F-16 training for Ukraine’s pilots will take place in Denmark and Romania. Training is to begin this August, and the first Ukrainian F-16 pilots are expected to complete training by early 2024.
Earlier, the Ukrainian President stated that the promised deliveries of F-16 jets had made him confident Ukraine could end Russia’s invasion.
According to the US-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukraine’s Air Force Commander Mr. Mykola Oleshchuk believes that F-16s will allow Ukrainian forces to combat Russia’s main aviation threat, the SU-35 jet fighter. “If Ukraine could destroy between 2 and 5 percent of Russia’s SU-35s, that would force it to temporarily stop flying combat missions to develop a response,” the ISW reported.
“Mr. Oleshchuk argued that this temporary pause would give Ukraine temporary air superiority and therefore allow Ukrainian forces to significantly accelerate counteroffensive operations,” the think tank added.
Greece has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, providing humanitarian aid and weapons, including infantry fighting vehicles, assault rifles, rocket launchers, and ammunition. Mr. Mitsotakis recently commented that Greece would “be present in the titanic effort to reconstruct and rebuild” Ukraine, with “particular emphasis on Odesa.”
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