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Kiev, Oslo begin to discuss possible training of Ukrainian pilots — Zelensky

According to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, he and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin considered, in particular, the 14th package of military assistance to Kyiv from Helsinki

MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Friday after a meeting with visiting Norwegian Defense Minister Bjorn Arild Gram that the two countries have begun to discuss the issue of training Ukrainian pilots.

"We discussed additional steps additional steps we can make together with Norway. <…> By the way, we begin to discuss with Norway possibilities of a training mission for our pilots," he said in a video address posted on his Telegram channel.

He also said that during his talks with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, who visited Kiev on Friday, they discussed another, the 14th, package of Helsinki’s military assistance to Kiev, as well as cooperation within the European Union structures.

In recent weeks, Kiev has been seeking to obtain fighter jets from the West.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said in an interview with CNN on March 8 that Warsaw was ready to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine. Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said on the following day that his country had received Poland’s consent for the joint transfer of a batch of MiG-29 fighter jets from their arsenals to Ukraine.

NBC reported on March 4 that Ukrainian pilots has arrived in the United States and that eight more pilots would arrive in March. The Politico newspaper said earlier citing its sources that the arrival of two Ukrainian pilots for possible training of skills to operate Western aircraft, including F-16 fighter jets, did not indicate any changes in Washington’s position that it is not yet time to supply such planes. According to the United States, it is looking for a possibility of equipping MiG-29 fighter jets with high-precision missiles.

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Ukraine Norway Military drills Vladimir Zelensky Military operation in Ukraine

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