Kuleba hopes Ukraine will receive F-16s in Q1, 2024
Baku, July 13, AZERTAC
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said that according to the schedule, the first F-16 fighter jets should fly in Ukrainian airspace by the end of the first quarter of next year.
He said this in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ukrinform reports.
He noted that the provision of Western F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine was related to very complex technical aspects.
"Training should start sometime in August, maybe at the beginning of September. Simultaneously, legal decisions necessary for the transfer of the aircraft and the aircraft themselves will be prepared. I think that if Ukrainian pilots fly the first F-16s in Ukrainian airspace by the end of the first quarter of next year, then this will be according to the schedule," Kuleba said.
He added that the schedule could change, as there are many nuances, including engineers, technicians, and infrastructure.
"But now the minister of defense is also working very actively here [at the NATO summit in Vilnius]. We are doing everything together to speed up this process as much as possible," the minister said.
Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom Vadym Prystaiko said on July 11 that the first 20 Ukrainian pilots would begin training on Western fighter jets in the UK in late July or early August.
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