US does not rule out supplying Ukraine with fighter jets for the first time
FRIDAY, 22 JULY 2022, 21:43
John Kirby, Coordinator of the US National Security Council for Strategic Communications, has said that the Pentagon has begun a preliminary assessment of the possibility of transferring modern fighter jets to Ukraine.
Evropeiska Pravda has reported that Kirby announced this on Friday at a closed briefing for the media.
According to him, the US Department of Defense is carrying out "a certain preliminary assessment of the feasibility of the potential provision of fighter jets to Ukraine."
At the same time, the White House spokesman warned that this will not happen quickly, given how difficult these aircraft are to manage and maintain.
"Integrating and managing any aircraft, especially an advanced fighter jet, is a complex matter," Kirby added.
Commenting on the issue of the terms of providing modern fighter jets to Ukraine, he emphasised that this is only a preliminary assessment and "this is not something that will happen anytime soon."
Earlier, the USA categorically rejected the possibility of providing Western aircraft to Ukraine , instead focusing on the search for Soviet aircraft.
It has been previously reported that the United States and allies are beginning to study the possibility of training Ukrainian pilots as part of a long-term effort to potentially help Kyiv create an upgraded Air Force.
This was announced a few days after lawmakers in the House of Representatives supported a resolution that, if it clears other hurdles, would allow $100 million to be allocated for the training of Ukrainian pilots and technicians of US combat aircraft.
