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West plans to give Kiev not only F-16s, but also weapons for them — Pentagon

"It’s not only the airplanes, but also the training of the pilots, training of the maintenance and also making sure we have the weapon systems to go with it," US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Charles Brown said

© AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool

WASHINGTON, May 1. /TASS/. The countries of the collective West are going to provide Ukraine not only with F-16 fighter jets, but also weapons for them, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Charles Brown said.

"As we bring on the F-16s, it’s not only the airplanes, but also the training of the pilots, training of the maintenance and also making sure we have the weapon systems to go with it," he said at a hearing at the US House Armed Services Committee.

"That is the dialogue that we are having to not only just get to the airplanes but get to a full capability," he went on to say.

The conversation is taking place as part of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, he said.

Kiev said in early April that five groups of Ukrainian pilots were being trained in flying US F-16 fighter jets in the UK, Denmark, the US and France. At the end of August 2023, the Netherlands said it would transfer 42 F-16s to Ukraine, while Copenhagen promised Kiev 19 such machines. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that F-16s can be carriers of nuclear weapons and Moscow would take this into account in its combat operations.

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Ukraine United States Pentagon

Conflict in Syria

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US confirms its intention to militarize space — Russian envoy to UN

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The IRGC Commander Lieutenant General Hossein Salami confirmed it

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Russia’s UN envoy calls on world community to put pressure on US, Israel

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