Warsaw ready to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s if Kyiv asks

Poland supports the start of training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and is ready to join in if Ukraine requests it, Polish International Policy Bureau Head Marcin Przydach said.

"Other allied countries can also demonstrate a little more willingness to help and support Ukraine. Poland has already done a lot in this regard. We do not plan to transfer F-16 aircraft [to Ukraine - ed.], but as for the exercises, if a good request and a good offer is made by the Ukrainian side, we will certainly consider it, but not on the basis of taken for granted," Przydacz said on Polish Radio, Ukrinform reports.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that during a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, specific commitments were reached by the Alliance allies to organize specialized training for Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft, which would pave the way for the delivery of these aircraft to Ukraine.

On July 20, Ihnat said that a group of Ukrainian pilots is already preparing to start training on F-16 fighter jets, which will begin in Denmark at the end of the summer.

On July 4, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force Yuriy Ihnat said that representatives of the Air Force command and other agencies were abroad studying bases and consulting with partners: where, on what grounds, and who will train Ukrainian pilots. The Aviation Coalition, in consultation with the Ukrainian side, is "working on planning and scheduling."

On July 1, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that there is no schedule for training Ukrainian pilots on Western F-16s and that some foreign partners are delaying.