Ukraine Won't Receive Fighter Jets During Counteroffensive: NATO Official

A North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) official has poured cold water on the prospect of Ukraine receiving fighter jets from the West during its current counteroffensive.

"The discussion on the fighters is an important one, but it will not be solved in the short term for this counteroffensive," Rob Bauer, a Dutch Navy officer and chairman of the NATO Military Committee, reportedly said Tuesday on the British radio station LBC, according to the Kyiv Independent.

"Training those pilots, training the technicians, making sure there is a logistic organization that can actually sustain these aircraft will not be available before this counteroffensive," he added.

NATO spokesperson Eleonora Russell told Newsweek that Bauer did not mean to indicate that fighter jets were off the table.

"[Bauer's comments] were an honest assessment of what Ukraine can realistically expect in the short term," Russell said. "What he has also indicated is that militarily the Ukrainian request makes sense and that allies are currently looking into how/when they can make this possible."

Bauer's words come after numerous countries, including the United States, Denmark and the Netherlands, have become more open to the sending of fighter jets to Ukraine.

Just last week, Denmark began training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s. The country's acting defense minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, said June 26 that Copenhagen has "taken the step of starting a training and further education effort for the Ukrainian pilots."

However, it has not completely confirmed the sending of any actual jets for the Ukrainian military's use. For that to occur, Poulsen alluded to following the United States' lead in facilitating such aircraft.

Poulsen told Newsweek that he has had "several opportunities" in recent weeks to discuss different training models for Ukrainian pilots.

"I am very pleased to see that the coalition behind training pilots and support staff for F-16 continuously broadens," Poulsen said. "It will be an important strategic step in the long term. The first step is to find out which countries that want to be involved in carrying out the training mission.

"We will continue working on this. My hope is that we'll be able to present a concept in time for the [NATO] summit in Vilnius [next week] and that the training will commence later this summer."

The Biden administration was resoundingly hesitant in even entertaining the option of sending F-16s to Ukraine, even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top military officials made continuous impassioned pleas for them.

"I believe many are disappointed with such news," retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Jeffrey Fischer, who has advocated for the sending of F-16s for many months, told Newsweek via electronic communication. "I estimated an arrival of October for F-16s into Ukraine.

"There are strong indications that this effort is not moving as fast as it could have. The lack of airpower to support the counteroffensive will mean more casualties on the battlefield."

Last month, nearly 16 months after the war began, U.S. Army General Mark Milley said the U.S. and Kyiv were in preliminary discussions on the sending of the aircraft. However, while Milley said "everyone recognizes Ukraine needs a modernized air force," he acknowledged that it would take "a considerable amount of time" for their arrival and use.

"Sustainment is a critical issue for anything provided as we cannot simply give them aircraft and have them figure it out," Pentagon spokesperson Major Charlie Dietz told Newsweek. "This is not a fast or easy process."

He said the focus has been on the ongoing counteroffensive, with the U.S. sending armored vehicles, artillery, weapons and equipment to Ukraine. Part of the long-term commitment involves U.S. support of a joint effort to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-16s.

"This will strengthen the Ukrainian Air Force and improve their capabilities over the long term since it will take Ukrainian pilots time to train," Dietz said. "Together, the U.S. and our allies and partners are sending a powerful signal: we are fully united in ensuring Ukraine remains sovereign, independent, and able to defend against and deter future attacks.

"As the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition will decide the details of when, how many, and from where they will be provided."

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said in May that he was "seriously considering" sending F-16s to Ukraine, instead opting in the short term to provide training of soldiers, according to Reuters.

Following the admission by U.S. defense officials that F-16s are now part of the discussion, Zelensky said Ukraine's allies "know how many aircraft we need," characterizing offers made by Western countries as "powerful."

General Valery Zaluzhny, commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces, recently told The Washington Post that his country's counteroffensive is not going perhaps as strongly as anticipated due to the lack of air superiority—saying it "pisses me off."

"This is not a show," Zaluzhny told The Post, adding that his soldiers are gaining ground daily, even 500 meters in some instances. "It's not a show the whole world is watching and betting on or anything. Every day, every meter is given by blood."

Fischer said Zaluzhny's concerns are valid.

"He's right," Fischer said. "It's a bit self-righteous to complain about the slow pace while withholding the asset that could expedite it."

Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian and Dutch defense ministries for comment.

Update 7/5/23, 10:17 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from NATO, the Pentagon and Acting Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen.