Germany, according to SPD leader Lars Klingbeil, should prioritize training, tanks, and missile defense. Meanwhile, the United States is willing to provide Ukraine with fighter planes for the first time.
SPD leader Lars Klingbeil has continued to oppose Germany's involvement in the transfer of combat aircraft to Ukraine. "Everyone has unique military abilities. "For us, fighter jets are not among them," stated Klingbeil of the "Rheinische Post." Chancellor Olaf Scholz's (SPD) declaration "applies here," he said.
Germany is focusing "on training, tanks, and missile defense," the SPD leader stated. Furthermore, Germany is Ukraine's second greatest donor behind the United States. And the new 2.7 billion dollar plan for Ukraine is "once again a long-term force."
Ukraine has long advocated for the introduction of Western fighter planes in its conflict with Russia. Kiev's leadership is especially interested in US F-16 fighter planes, which are employed by a variety of military forces throughout the world.
The United States began delivering Western F-16 fighter planes to Ukraine for the first time on Friday. According to a US official, President Biden stated at the G7 conference in Hiroshima that the US supports training Ukrainian pilots on "fourth generation fighter jets," including the F-16, in collaboration with "allies and partners." Zelenskyy was happy and expressed his desire for "practical implementation."
A study found that a huge majority of Germans oppose Germany deploying combat planes to Ukraine. In a survey conducted by the Funke media company, 12% of those polled were doubtful about a delivery, while 51% flatly rejected it.
As a result, the mentality is shared by all parties. The Greens are an exception, with 54% of their followers in favor of using combat planes as weapons. All other parties' supporters came out against it. Skepticism is highest among supporters of the AfD (88%), the Left Party (76%), the SPD (63%), the Union (59%), and the FDP (59%).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy jets from summit to summit. Following his discussions at the Arab League conference in Jeddah on Friday, Zelenskyy traveled to Hiroshima for the summit of the seven key democratic economic countries (G7).
Zelensky, among other things, wishes to see US Vice President Joe Biden at Hiroshima. First and foremost, he intended to discuss with his US counterpart the US's involvement in the so-called combat aircraft coalition proposed by Biden. "Today I can officially speak about the formation of the aviation coalition, which means that very soon Ukraine will have everything it needs to protect its skies, cities, and citizens," said Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's Presidential Office.
According to a senior US source, US President Biden reminded G7 leaders on Friday that the US will help training Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter planes, including the F-16. First and first, pilots must be trained. Then, he continued, it will be decided when and how many planes will be delivered, as well as who would make them accessible.
Source: FAZ