Ukraine denies pilot training on Mirage fighters
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On Wednesday, the French newspaper Le Figaro stated that Paris could hand over at least 10 Mirage fighters to Ukraine, and that 30 Ukrainian pilots have been undergoing training at military airfields in France for more than a month and a half. According to Le Figaro, it remains to wait only for official permission.
The representative of the Air Force of Ukraine, Yury Ignat, in a comment to the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty, called Le Figaro’s statement premature. According to him, so far there is no question of the delivery of “Mirages” or the training of pilots. Members of the Ukrainian Air Force are indeed trained by their French colleagues, but they are not pilots, but aircraft gunners, mechanics and other representatives of aviation specialties. “Different countries offer us their platforms for possible training of pilots for that type [самолётов]which will be elected collegially during consultations with our Western partners,” Ignat clarified.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with the British The Guardian on Wednesday said that the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance are developing plans for long-term military support of Ukraine, preparing for a protracted war. Among other things, he did not rule out the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine. According to him, the planes can be provided by individual NATO countries.
Earlier, Poland and Slovakia announced that they would supply Soviet-made MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine. Some of them are in working condition, some can be used for spare parts for similar fighters in service with the Armed Forces. No country has yet delivered or promised aircraft produced by western countries to Ukraine.
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