German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz said that training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s would be a message to Russia that the country cannot count on winning the war.
A potential joint training program to train Ukrainian pilots to use the F-16, sponsored by allied countries, is a message to Russia that the country cannot count on success in invading Ukraine, even if it develops into a protracted conflict. Schulz said this in Hiroshima on Sunday, where he is attending the G7 summit.
Ukraine has not received any promises to acquire F-16s for its air defense. But senior officials in Washington said US President Joe Biden told the G7 summits on Friday that Washington was supporting a training program for Ukrainian pilots.
Schulz followed that up on Sunday, saying the training program should be a long-term project. Scholz also said it was important for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet leaders from non-Western countries.
– If proposals are put forward for peace talks, the goal cannot be to freeze the conflict. Schultz said Russia should withdraw its forces.
In an interview with the German television station Welt, Schultz said that after the war in Ukraine, it should be clarified how Ukraine’s security can be protected. He also said that Ukraine’s eventual membership in NATO would not exist in the near future.
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