Scholz: F-16 training is a message to Russia
Photo: AP/NTB
Training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s will be a message to Russia that the country cannot count on winning the war, German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz has said.
A possible joint training program for the training of Ukrainian pilots in the use of the F-16, under the auspices of the allied countries, is a message to Russia that the country cannot count on the success of the invasion of the Ukraine, even if it turns into a protracted conflict. Scholz said so on Sunday in Hiroshima, where he is attending the G7 summit.
Ukraine has not received any promises to obtain F-16 aircraft for its air defense. But senior Washington officials said US President Joe Biden told the G7 summits on Friday that Washington supported a training program for Ukrainian pilots.
Scholz followed that lead on Sunday, saying the training program should be a long-term project. Scholz also said it was important for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj to be able to meet leaders from non-Western countries.
– If proposals for peace talks are put forward, the goal cannot be that we get a frozen conflict. Russia must withdraw its forces, Scholz said.
In an interview with German TV channel Welt, Scholz says that after the war in Ukraine, it needs to be clarified how Ukraine’s security can be safeguarded. He also said that Ukraine’s eventual NATO membership is not something that will exist in the near future.
