The Biden administration made it clear in May that Washington would not prevent its allies from providing F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv, which would be a move widely seen as highly escalatory and one that could lead to direct conflict between NATO and Russia. However, it has also been largely understood that training Ukrainian pilots to fly Western combat aircraft could take at least a year, if not longer.
As NATO’s summit approaches, former NATO Secretary-General Anders Rasmussen has warned that some of the alliance’s Eastern European states are considering sending their troops to Ukraine if NATO does not make substantial pledges to Ukraine during the summit.
At the request of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Parliament canceled a major public holiday to financially support its commitments to NATO and the war in Ukraine. The decision was widely criticized and resulted in public protests against the move.
Despite the recent fall of the eastern city of Bakhmut to Russian and Wagner forces, Ukrainian officials still insist that they will “get back what’s ours,” according to top military officer, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is reiterating the same message claiming that “we strongly believe that we will succeed.”
Poland and Norway have joined the ever-expanding faction of NATO countries that are willing to begin training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. The countries’ willingness comes after President Joe Biden gave his approval at last week’s G7 summit in Japan for Europeans to send Western fighters to Ukraine. The policy change occurred after months of debate inside the administration.
Seymour Hersh: ‘Something Else Is Cooking’ In Ukraine
As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) summit approaches, member states have been privately discussing what Ukraine’s status within the alliance should be. While all members are in favor of elevating Kyiv’s status, the members have not been able to agree on a united path for Ukraine to join the bloc.