Finnish Prime Minister's statement on fighter jets for Ukraine came as surprise to Finnish government and army
The Finnish government states that it has not discussed the possible supply of Hornet fighter jets to Ukraine, as Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin stated during her visit to Kyiv on 10 March.
Source: European Pravda
Details: In particular, Major General Juha-Pekka Keränen, Commander of the Finnish Air Force, said in a comment for the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper that the country's defence forces had not discussed the possible provision of fighter jets to Ukraine.
Keränen explained that the Finnish Defence Forces cannot afford to give up the Hornet until they receive F-35 jets in return. In addition, organising operational training for such fighters will be a difficult task.
President Sauli Niinistö said the same in a comment to the Finnish STT agency: "There have been no discussions with this government on this issue".
And Finnish Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen told MTV Uutiset that he was unaware of Marin's intentions to discuss the issue of fighter jets, which he said Finland would need for many years to come.
Background: On 10 March, during her visit to Kyiv, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin reportedly said that Finland, along with other allies, could consider providing Ukraine with fighter jets.
According to open sources, the Finnish Air Force currently has 55 F/A-18 Hornet fighters and about 20 training models, as well as older British Hawk training models. Finland has ordered 64 of the latest F-35 fighters from the United States to replace them, which will be delivered by 2026.
Among Western fighter jets, Ukraine is known to be most interested in the F-16s.
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