Ben Hodges, a former commander of the U.S. Army Europe, told Deutsche Welle that the West should supply Ukraine with fighter jets as the planes could contribute to Ukraine’s victory within a year.
“The sooner we deliver them the capability to achieve a decisive outcome, the sooner that (the war) could be over,” Hodges said in an interview with Deutsche Welle.
According to Hodges, Ukraine could still win without Western fighter jets, but Russia’s defeat would take three to five years, given the current level of Western support.
He said that Western concerns regarding Ukraine’s military training and compatibility of runways don’t make it “unfeasible” to give Ukraine the “opportunity” to use the planes.
Previously, Hoges said that Ukraine’s allies need to be more decisive and provide Ukraine with much-needed offensive weapons.