Portuguese Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho ruled out the possibility of providing Ukraine with Portuguese F-16s as part of a “coalition of fighters”, but confirmed his readiness to join the training of personnel.
About this, as he writesEuropean truth“, according to the publication Diário de Notícias.
According to the head of the Portuguese Foreign Ministry, sending the F-16 is “an issue that is not discussed” because “Portugal does not have an unlimited number of aircraft.”
“We have those (aircraft – ed.) that we need to fulfill our national obligations, as well as in NATO, so this question is not on the table now,” Cravigno said.
At the same time, he confirmed that Portugal is “open to the possibility” of training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16.
“We have very good pilots and instructors, and they are ready to work with colleagues from other countries who also have F-16s to train Ukrainian pilots,” the Portuguese foreign minister added.
According to various sources, the Portuguese Air Force consists of 25 to 27 F-16 aircraft.
Last week, the UK announced the launch of an international coalition of countries aimed at training Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighters, including the F-16. The coalition already includes the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, USA and Portugal.
The White House also confirmed that in the coming months, the United States and allies will discuss when and how much Ukraine will receive modern fighters.
2023-05-22 16:28:56
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