Ukraina -Statsminister Shmyhal ber om 4. generasjons jagerfly - Stars & Stripes

 

Ukraine’s prime minister urges US to send F-15 or F-16 fighter jets during Pentagon meeting

By 

DOUG G. WARE

STARS AND STRIPES • April 12, 2023

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Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, right, speaks with Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal during a bilateral exchange meeting at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., April 12, 2023. (Jack Sanders/Department of Defense)

WASHINGTON — Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal urged the United States on Wednesday to begin sending fighter jets that can help drive Russian forces out of the country, especially if Moscow begins to employ high-end fighters and bombers.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin welcomed Shmyhal to the Pentagon Wednesday and the two discussed Ukraine’s immediate military needs amid preparations for increased Russian attacks now that the weather is warming.

“Russia’s cruel war of choice has killed thousands of Ukrainians, both troops and innocent civilians,” Austin said during the meeting at the Pentagon. “I’m confident we will meet Ukraine’s defense needs through this spring and beyond. And as [President Joe Biden] has repeatedly made clear, we will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

U.S. and other Western leaders have been giving tens of billions in security aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. Those packages have included a wide array of weapons and equipment, including sophisticated M1 Abrams battle tanks, Patriot missile systems, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, armored personnel carriers, rocket launchers, guns and millions of rounds of ammunition.

One thing the U.S. has not committed to sending are fighter jets of any kind, despite repeated requests from Kyiv.

“In modern warfare, air superiority is crucial," Shmyhal said. "That’s why Ukraine is initiating the building of a new, so-called ‘fighter jet coalition.’ And we are inviting the United States to become its most important participant.”

“America can once again demonstrate its leadership by providing Ukraine with F-15 or F-16 aircraft,” he added.

The F-15 Eagle has been in service with the Air Force for almost a half-century and the F-16 Fighting Falcon has been in Air Force and Navy fleets for more than four decades. But for months, Biden and U.S. military leaders have said American fighter jets are not top priorities for Ukraine, partly because the country already has its own fleet of Russian-made fighter jets Ukrainian pilots are far more familiar with. Ukraine is a former Soviet republic.