US says supply of F-16s to Kiev 'priority,' Portugal mulls not sending

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 May 2023 23:40

Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho said earlier in the day that Portugal has no intentions of supplying Kiev with F-16s. However, Lisbon is ready to provide training for Ukrainian pilots.

A US Air Force F-16 flies over Afghanistan. (US Army)

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday that a joint effort with NATO allies to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and then supply Kiev's forces with the fourth-generation aircraft is a priority for the US that is scheduled to come into force in the near future.

"I don't have any announcements about when or how that will happen, what countries they'll [F-16s] come from, but it's a priority for us and we will begin to implement that in the coming months," Miller told reporters.

Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho said earlier in the day that Portugal has no intentions of supplying Kiev with F-16s. However, Lisbon is ready to provide training for Ukrainian pilots.

"We have those [combat aircraft] we need to fulfill our national obligations and also obligations to NATO, so for now the issue [of sending F-16s to Ukraine] does not arise," Cravinho was quoted as saying by the Diario de Noticias newspaper.

Responding to a question on the training of Ukrainian pilots, Cravinho said "Portugal is open to this possibility. We have very good pilots and instructors, and they are available to work with colleagues from other countries who also have F-16s to train Ukrainian pilots."

Since the start of Russia's special military operation, the West has been supplying financial and military aid to Ukraine.

On May 19, US President Joe Biden told G7 leaders that Washington will endorse supplying advanced warplanes including F-16s to Ukraine.

Biden said the United States "will support a joint effort with our allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-16s, to further strengthen and improve the capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force," the official revealed.

On Saturday, an adviser to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Yuriy Sak, told WashPo that Kiev expects to receive the first batch of F-16s from foreign donors in late September or early October.