2022-06-04T12:30:00+03:00 Politics 2024-05-15T05:52:35+03:00

Ukrainian news

U.S. General Urging West To Provide Fighter Jets To Ukraine As Soon As Possible - Media

U.S. General Urging West To Provide Fighter Jets To Ukraine As Soon As Possible - Media

Major General David Baldwin, commander of the U.S. National Guard forces in California, called on U.S. and other Western officials to consider transferring MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine as soon as possible.

He spoke about this in a commentary to the Politico publication.

"MiGs are the best immediate solution to support the Ukrainians, but American or Western fighters are options that should also be examined as soon as possible," Baldwin said.

It is reported that on the eve of the American general said that American military officials are working with Ukrainian counterparts on the request of the Ukrainian authorities to Western countries for the provision of fighter jets.

"There is a lot of good in the fact that they will switch to MiGs, because they're already trained in that, but if they're going to use western-style aircraft, it's a discussion about the number, types and capabilities of the aircraft that might be available," Baldwin said.

When asked by journalists of the publication, the representative of the California National Guard, Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Hill, stressed that the final decision on the transfer of American-made fighter jets to Ukraine will be made by the White House and the Pentagon (U.S. Department of Defense).

"Even before the start of the conflict, it was always assumed that Ukraine would become compatible with NATO, including giving it the ability to use Western fighters," Hill said.

Recall, on April 21, the American TV channel CNN reported, citing a high-ranking official of the U.S. Department of Defense, that thanks to Western supplies, Ukraine was able to increase its air force fleet by 20 aircraft.

Later, the Command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed this information, but emphasized that Western partners had transferred spare parts and components to Ukraine, but not new aircraft.