Finland ready to consider transfer of Hornet fighters to Ukraine, but only after receiving F-35 from United States

Finland is ready to consider providing Ukraine with old American F/A-18 Hornet aircraft. This will become possible only after the country replaces them with the modern F-35 Lightning II.

A corresponding statement was made by the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, Yle reports.

Starting 2025, the Finnish F/A-18 fleet will be decommissioned. These aircraft are expected to be entirely retired by around 2031. They will gradually be replaced with the American F-35.

The publication writes that during her recent visit to Ukraine, Prime Minister Marin suggested that Finland could discuss the transfer of its decommissioned F/A-18s to Ukraine.

It is noted that her statement surprised President Sauli Niinisto and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen.

Prime Minister Marin emphasized that her words were not a specific offer and that no one had promised to help Ukraine with the supply of fighter jets.

At the end of January 2023, the mass media reported that Western officials and diplomats began discussing the possibility of transferring fighter jets to Ukraine.

This became possible after the United States, Germany, and Great Britain decided to transfer their tanks to Kyiv.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, in February 2023, it became known that Italy is ready to transfer modern aircraft to Ukraine, but only if the deliveries take place on the terms of Rome.

And American Congressman Michael McCaul, during his visit to Kyiv on February 21, said that the US leadership had made progress in discussing the supply of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.