Zelenskyy calls for F-16 training to be integrated into EU training mission

Monday, 2 October 2023, 17:50

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has thanked members of the European Union for deciding to provide Ukraine with Western-made F-16 fighter jets and called for training on F-16s to be integrated into EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM) training.

Source: Zelenskyy during a speech to EU foreign ministers in Kyiv on Monday, quoted by the press service of the President's Office and reported by European Pravda

Details: Speaking of military support, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the EU states that have joined the fighter jet coalition.

Quote: "Now we are preparing our pilots and infrastructure in Ukraine to use F-16s. And this will definitely help our defence against Russian terror. We are counting on the integration of modules for training Ukrainian F-16 pilots and engineers into EUMAM Ukraine."

More details: Zelenskyy also stressed the need to strengthen Ukraine's air defence ahead of the winter season.

Quote: "The air defence systems our country has received, such as Patriot, IRIS-T, NASAMS and others, are already playing a positive role and saving lives. We need more of these systems – in particular, a few Patriots for the protection of our southern regions could fundamentally change the situation and to a large extent make Russian terror meaningless."

Background:

Back in August, Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, suggested that Brussels would decide to partially reimburse the costs of member states that have decided to provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
EUMAM Ukraine was officially established on 17 October 2022 and began operations in mid-November.
The mission was tasked with training up to 30,000 Ukrainian servicemen in centres located in EU member states, but Brussels has already announced that the target will be exceeded in October.

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