The defense ministers of the United Kingdom, Ben Wallace, and Germany, Boris Pistorius, on Wednesday ruled out supplying war fighters to Ukraine after alleging the unavailability of the appropriate aircraft. “We will not supply fighter jets to Ukraine,” Wallace announced in an appearance before the press at the headquarters of the German Defense Ministry in Berlin. Britton said that the Eurofighter Typhoon would be “an aircraft that is not suitable” and stressed that “this is not about donating a weapon system, but about providing a platform.”
Wallace insisted, “We shouldn’t have aircraft out there that we don’t have or that aren’t suitable. I think after the war, when we talk about resilience, it’s important that we look at what’s necessary.” Build capabilities.” The minister explained that in the future Ukraine would need more capabilities in terms of fighter aircraft to serve as a deterrent weapon and suggested that steps were being taken so that in the long term, the country could “defend itself in the air as well”. No matter what type of aircraft you want to buy”.
Wallace insisted that Ukraine has a preference for the F-16, a type of aircraft that Britain does not have in its inventory, he explained. For now, London can support its ally with Storm Shadow missiles, in the same way that Germany and other countries have already supplied other air defense systems, he said.
In the absence of the F-16, anti-aircraft defense
Pistorius agreed with Wallace that the priority right now is “to provide things that can be used immediately or at least in the shortest possible time.” Pistorius argued that Germany does not have F-16 fighters and that neither the Tornado nor the Eurofighter are sufficient to help Ukraine in the short term, especially given the complexity of their handling and pilot training times. The minister said that German industry is specialized in tanks and anti-aircraft defense systems. He insisted that both types of weapons had been delivered to Ukraine. “We are focusing on Ukraine’s air defense and supplying more ammunition. We are focusing on the maintenance of the tanks we have supplied,” he stressed.
In parallel to the meeting between British and German ministers, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed confidence that an alliance would be formed this year to supply Western fighters to Ukraine, while some countries have expressed willingness to train Ukrainian troops. . , others have shown willingness to provide aircraft. “Our priority is the F-16, but we don’t rule out other aircraft options. It’s like tanks,” Kuleba said in an appearance before the media.
