Official: Fighter jet coalition helping Ukraine now includes 9 countries.
The coalition to provide Ukraine with fighter jets now includes 8 European countries, and more countries may join, online newspaper Yevropeiska Pravda reported on June 2, citing Ihor Zhovkva, a presidential deputy chief of staff. The European countries include the U.K., the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Portugal, and France, he said. The U.S., a ninth member, has also joined the coalition.
The coalition is taking real steps to accelerate the training of Ukrainian pilots and technicians on F-16s and other fourth-generation fighter jets, according to Zhovkva. The report does not mention what specific aircraft models are being considered. On May 25, the Swedish government announced[1] it will train Ukraine's pilots on its JAS 39 Gripen jets, but added it will not provide the planes to Kyiv.
The statement by the President's Office comes after a meeting[2] of the 'fighter jet coalition' in Moldova on June 1. President Volodymyr Zelensky met the leaders of the U.K., the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, and Belgium to discuss the training of pilots and procurement of Western fighter jets. The leaders agreed to formalize the coalition under the name 'Ukraine's Sky Shield' at the next Rammstein Summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, following consultations with the U.S., which is also a party to the coalition.
Morawiecki: Poland to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that his country will train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, the Polish Radio wrote on June 1.
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Martin Fornusek
News Editor
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He also volunteers as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukrainer.
Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.