NATO mulls giving more fighter jets to Ukraine on top of the Soviet-designed warplanes already provided by some member states, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has revealed. Kiev has intensified calls on its Western backers in recent months to hand over F-16s and other modern aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Stoltenberg promised reporters ahead of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting on Friday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany that NATO would be there for Ukraine for the long haul. The official also stated that member countries have reached an agreement on Ukraine’s future in the alliance.
According to Stoltenberg, the US-led alliance wants to help Kyiv move from Soviet-era weapons to Western ones, making the Ukrainian military compatible with NATO armed forces.
For the time being, NATO’s leader reiterated that the alliance’s priority is to ensure that “Ukraine prevails” and has the capability to withstand any future Russian offensive.
When asked if the EU planned to respond to Kyiv’s request for fighter jets, Stoltenberg noted that “allies have delivered, Poland, Slovakia has delivered MiG-29s.”
Furthermore, “there’s an ongoing discussion about also other types of jets,” the secretary general said, without specifying which models are being considered.
During his surprise visit to Kiev on Thursday, Stoltenberg met with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who pressed NATO’s chief over a lack of a clear timeline for Ukraine’s possible accession to the bloc. Zelensky also asked Stoltenberg to help “overcome the reluctance” of some member states when it comes to providing long-range rockets and modern fighter jets to Ukraine.
About a month ago, Slovakia and Poland, both NATO member states, announced the delivery of Soviet-made Mig-29s to Ukraine.
Russia has constantly stated that Western arms transfers to Kiev simply serve to prolong the conflict and that it is committed to achieve its objectives in the neighboring country regardless of the consequences. The Kremlin has also frequently warned NATO that by delivering increasingly modern systems to Ukraine, it is becoming further involved in the crisis and risking a direct clash with Russia.
