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Bundestag member says Bundeswehr fighter jets aren’t good choice for transfer to Kiev

Anton Hofreiter urged the German government not to object to potential supplies of older fighter jets to Ukraine, which have been in possession of some countries since the times when the German Democratic Republic still existed

BERLIN, March 17. /TASS/. Anton Hofreiter, who represents the Green Party at the Bundestag and serves as chairman of the European Affairs Committee, said the fighter jets that are in service with the Bundeswehr aren’t a good choice for a transfer to Kiev, according to his interview with Funke Mediengruppe that was published on Friday.

"The machines from Germany, Eurofighter and Tornado, are of course not fit for the purpose," he said.

But he urged the German government not to object to potential supplies of older fighter jets to Ukraine, which have been in possession of some countries since the times when the German Democratic Republic still existed.

"Germany shouldn’t, if it’s required to give permission, object to a transfer of Polish and Czech fighter jets," the lawmaker said. "Permission may be required if the machines at their disposal came from the old GDR inventories."

Hofreiter called for prompt supplies to Kiev of the military equipment that had already been promised, such as Leopard 2 tanks, as well as "increasing their numbers and providing additional ammunition."

Polish President Andrzej Duda said earlier that Kiev would get the first four MiG-29 fighter jets from Warsaw in the next few days. The government of Slovakia on Friday has also approved a transfer of 13 MiG-29 jets to Ukraine.

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