LISBON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2023) Portugal is not mulling the possibility of sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, as Lisbon needs them to fulfill both its national and NATO obligations, Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho said on Monday.
"We have those (combat aircraft) we need to fulfill our national obligations and also obligations to NATO, so for now the issue (of sending F-16s to Ukraine) does not arise," Cravinho was quoted as saying by the Diario de Noticias newspaper.
Nevertheless, the top Portuguese diplomat announced that Lisbon was ready to start training Ukrainian pilots in the use of F-16 fighters.
"Portugal is open to this possibility. We have very good pilots and instructors, and they are available to work with colleagues from other countries who also have F-16s to train Ukrainian pilots," he reportedly added.
Western countries have been supplying military aid to Ukraine since the start of hostilities in February 2022. NATO allies has recently pledged to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, the latest addition to the list of lethal weapons the West has provided to Ukraine as it gears up for a large-scale offensive against Russian forces. Yuriy Sak, an adviser to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, told the Washington Post on Saturday that Kiev hopes to receive the first F-16s from foreign donors in late September or early October.
