During a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Feb. 24, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that his country is ready to train Ukrainian soldiers to fly F-16 fighter jets.
However, he added that this should be done within the framework of a broader coalition.
"But Poland is ready to conduct such exercises," Morawiecki said. "It is very important for the Ukrainian skies to become finally safe."
Morawiecki is in Kyiv to commemorate the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Polish President Andrzej Duda confirmed that Morawiecki delivered the first batch of Leopard tanks promised by Poland during his visit, the Associated Press reported earlier on Feb. 24.
The Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland published photos of Morawiecki laying a wreath at a memorial for fallen Ukrainian soldiers in central Kyiv together with Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
Critics argue that allies’ reluctance to supply F-16, Typhoon and Dassault fighter jets and long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine will prevent Kyiv from launching a counteroffensive and liberating the rest of Ukrainian territory. Ukraine’s lack of advanced aircraft and missiles will likely prolong Russia’s war of aggression and result in thousands of deaths.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has promised to provide Ukraine with long-range GLSDB missiles but they are expected to arrive in nine months, which may be too late.
