Decision on fighter jets to Ukraine likely 'before summer': Denmark
Published Apr 11, 2023 12:02 pm
COPENHAGEN, Denmark - Denmark's defence minister said Tuesday he expected the Danes and allies to decide on whether to donate Western fighter jets to Ukraine "before the summer", as deliveries of Polish and Slovak MiG-29s have begun.
Discussions are taking time because countries have to act together, acting defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen said during a visit to Ukraine.
"Denmark will not do it alone," Lund Poulsen told several Danish media outlets, adding that a decision was still achievable "in the near future."
"We need to do this together with several countries. We will also have a dialogue with the Americans about this," the minister said.
Slovakia and Poland began deliveries of Soviet-designed MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in late March and early April.
Warsaw has said it is ready to give away all of its MiG-29s -- around 30.
But despite requests from Kyiv, no modern fighter jets such as the US-designed F-16 have been pledged, and Washington has so far said it would not send fighter jets.
The Netherlands and France have not ruled out sending jets and in February Britain offered to train Ukrainian fighter pilots.
Denmark has a fleet of 43 US-designed F-16s, 30 of which are in active service.
The fleet is being replaced by the more modern F-35, of which Denmark has purchased 27.