West should hand over combat aircraft to Ukraine – ex-NATO commander

The West should provide Ukraine with MiG-29 and F-16 fighter jets.

James G. Stavridis, former commander-in-chief of NATO forces in Europe, said this on ZDF.

"I believe that Ukraine needs combat aircraft," Stavridis said.

In particular, he advocates the provision of Polish MiG-29 and American F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv.

According to Stavridis, MiG-29s can be delivered directly, and the Ukrainians know how to operate them. As for the second type of aircraft, this scheme will take more time, but Ukrainian pilots could quickly learn to fly the F-16: "It is a relatively simple aircraft that is easy to master."

The U.S. admiral also called the supply of Western tanks to Ukraine "critically important". This type of armament of Ukrainian troops is important for ground combat, regardless of which NATO country the tanks came from.

Nevertheless, according to him, Russian attackers are more successful "in the sky" than on the ground. That is why Ukraine should continue to receive support in the protection of its airspace.

"That means, for example, Patriot batteries that are supplied by the United States and then possibly Germany," Stavridis said.

At the same time, the former commander shares the assessment of the U.S. Chief of General Staff, Mark Milley, regarding the course of the war. "The issue of Crimea, in particular, will be very difficult," Stavridis said.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on January 11, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced his intention to transfer a company of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

After that, Britain announced that it planned to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Also, on January 11, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda announced the intention to send air defense and anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine.

On January 4, it became known about France's decision to hand over a batch of AMX-10RC wheeled tanks to Ukraine.