Greek opposition slams government over Ukrainian pilot training
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This comes after Greece and Ukraine signed a joint declaration that Athens would continue providing military, technical, defense, and humanitarian assistance to Kiev.
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Opposition leader Alexis Tsipras, head of the left-wing Syriza party, during a conference in Athens Greece on June 29, 2023 (AP)
The Coalition of the Radical Left - Progressive Alliance (SYRIZA), Greece's largest opposition party, expressed its strong dissent regarding a Greek offer to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F16 jets and other initiatives in Greece's "direct military involvement" in the war.
In a joint declaration on Monday, Greece announced its support for Ukraine's NATO membership under the condition that the latter fulfills all necessary conditions for its accession to the bloc.
Signed by the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following talks in Athens, the declaration noted that "the Hellenic Republic supports Ukraine to become NATO Member when Allies agree, and conditions are met, as stated in the NATO Vilnius Summit Declaration."
Moreover, the declaration also highlighted that Greece is set to continue to provide military, technical, defense, and humanitarian assistance to Kiev.
Read more: Ireland to give Ukraine weapons training despite ‘non-lethal’ pledge
According to the Greek opposition statement, Syriza stated that it was against Russian actions in Ukraine but that it was also opposed to Greece's "further direct military involvement in the war in Ukraine," stressing that it was especially against "the training of Ukrainian pilots by Greeks, which is especially dangerous for our country and which the Ukrainian president said was Mitsotakis' proposal."
Last week, Kiev Independent, citing The Washington Post reported that the first Ukrainian pilots to undergo F-16 fighter training will not be operational before the summer of 2024.
As per information from two undisclosed Ukrainian officials, it is projected that only six pilots, approximately 50% of the squadron, will finish the initial phase of training. The Washington Post reported that two additional pilots have been designated as backup candidates.
Despite their proficiency in English, these pilots are required to undertake a four-month English course in the United Kingdom to grasp the aviation-specific terminology necessary for operating the jets.
Consequently, the commencement of live combat training for pilots is anticipated to occur around January 2024. Likewise, a comparable-sized batch of pilots is projected to be prepared by the conclusion of the following year.
Additionally, there will be 20 pilots with limited proficiency in English, and they are set to commence their language training in England within this month. As outlined by The Washington Post, these delays underscore the division between the Western nations and Kiev.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in July that Russia will consider the presence of F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine sent from the West as a "nuclear" threat due to their capacity to carry atomic weapons, therefore representing a direct threat to Russia. "Russia cannot ignore the ability of these aircraft to carry nuclear weapons. No amount of assurances will help here," Lavrov was quoted as saying by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
