Ukraine Will Not Use F-16 Fighters In Summer Counteroffensive - Reznikov

Ukraine will not use F-16 fighters in the expected counteroffensive this summer, but will use all available ground equipment.

The Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov stated this in an interview with NHK on June 4 in Singapore.

So, when asked about the F-16 fighters that Ukraine has long wanted, Reznikov said that they "will not change the rules of the game this summer." Reznikov stressed that the training of Ukrainian pilots will take some time. In addition, Ukraine also needs to agree with partners on providing engineering and technical personnel that will be able to maintain and repair aircraft.

According to him, Ukraine will be ready to deploy F-16 in the fall or winter.

It is indicated that Reznikov refused to answer the question that Ukraine has launched "formative operations" that involve attacks on weapons depots and other logistics bases in order to prepare for a counteroffensive.

He stressed that as for a defense minister, it would be strange for him to discuss formation operations because they should be discussed by generals.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the Netherlands and Denmark are leading a coalition to train pilots with the support of the UK and Belgium. According to one of the sources, the Dutch government is already studying and discussing with its allies possible transfer plans.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of State commented on the timing of training Ukrainian pilots on American F-16 fighters.