Berlin: Due to a lack of the necessary aircraft types in its Armed Forces, Germany, according to its defence minister Boris Pistorius, can hardly meet Kiev's demands for fighter jets.
When questioned about possible fighter jet deliveries to Ukraine, Pistorius responded that up until this point, the discussions have only covered the "fighter jet types that the Bundeswehr does not possess."
Germany shouldn't be answering that question, the minister said. However, he left the door open for potential aircraft deliveries. He added that this idea hardly applies to German military aircraft at the moment, but that one cannot completely rule out anything when it comes to the military actions in Ukraine.
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Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets are currently the mainstay of the German Bundeswehr. According to an Airbus report from 2021, the Luftwaffe, its air force, has more than 140 of these aircraft. These fourth-generation jet fighters have been produced since the early 1990s in collaboration with Leonardo, Airbus, and BAE Systems of the UK. The German Air Force also has nearly 90 older Panavia Tornado jets built in the 1970s in addition to Typhoons.
Pistorius declared in January that it was "out of the question" for Germany to send fighter jets to Ukraine. He added that such a move would "venture into dimensions that I would currently warn against," calling it too risky.
Throughout the ongoing military conflict with Russia, Ukraine repeatedly urged its Western backers to provide it with heaver weapons like tanks and warplanes. Kiev was mainly concerned with F-16 aircraft made in the US, though.
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Officials from Ukraine recently expressed optimism about getting past Western opposition to donating fighter jets. According to a Financial Times report from last week, the US may still decide to send F-16 fighter jets to Kiev or approve their reexport from other countries that possess them.
The Italian newspaper La Repubblica stated on Monday that Rome might think about sending five warplanes to Kiev. According to the newspaper, the deal may involve outdated AMX Ghibli fighter-bombers that the Italian Air Force intends to retire by the end of the year. It also stated that Italy would only agree to send the jets to Ukraine if other countries first provided it with Western-made military aircraft.
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The UK has so far decided against sending jets to Kiev, despite having previously led the delivery campaign for Western-made tanks to Ukraine. Ben Wallace, the secretary of defence, stated to Sky News earlier in February that the UK would not be sending any time soon.