German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that the issue of deliveries of fighter jets from Germany to Ukraine “is not currently in the spotlight.” He said this on February 14 to the TV channel ARD.
“When the skies over Ukraine are safe for the next three to four months, we can talk about further steps,” he said.
Earlier that day, the tenth meeting of the contact group on arming Kyiv in the Ramstein format was held in Brussels. On the agenda of the discussion were such issues as the protection of the Ukrainian sky, including with the help of an aviation platform; the development of a “tank coalition”; formation of safety margins for ammunition; Ukrainian military training; logistics, repair and maintenance of weapons.
On February 11, German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock said that Germany was not discussing the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine. As the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany noted, even the previous decision of the German government to send tanks was given too hard.
The representative of the Ministry of Defense of the country, Arne Kollatz, on February 10, announced his refusal to discuss the supply of fighter jets with Kiev. According to him, this issue is not on the agenda.
On February 8, during a visit to London, during a speech in the British Parliament, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky asked to supply combat aircraft to Kyiv. He said that the fighters would become “wings of freedom”, and also called for increased sanctions against Russia.
On the same day, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for restraint in public discussion of further arms supplies to Ukraine. According to him, Germany will not participate in speculation about military supplies of combat aircraft and submarines to Kyiv.
Prior to that, on January 26, the Politico newspaper wrote that a number of Western countries are actively discussing the possibility of supplying modern fighters for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). However, a number of politicians fear that such a move could lead to a serious escalation.
Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the backdrop of a Russian special operation to protect Donbass. The decision was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region as a result of shelling by Ukrainian forces.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
