Ukrainian Minister of Defense to sign agreement on F-16 pilot training with France at NATO Summit

Reznikov arrived at the NATO summit in Vilnius.

Before the official meetings, the minister said he would sign an agreement with his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu to train pilots on F-16 fighter jets.

At the same time, Reznikov refused to discuss Ukraine's membership in NATO with journalists.

"Our goal is full membership," he said.

F-16 for Ukraine

Ukraine's allies have announced the creation of an aviation coalition to provide the country with modern fighters, including F-16s. The Netherlands and Denmark lead the coalition.

Initially, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hoped that training for Ukrainians on F-16s would begin in August and that Ukraine would receive the aircraft in six to seven months. However, he recently reported that some countries are delaying the training schedules for Ukrainian pilots.

NATO Summit in Vilnius

Zelenskyy has already arrived in Vilnius for the NATO summit. At the Summit, Kyiv wants to receive an invitation to join the Alliance.

At the same time, Lithuanian Ambassador to NATO Deividas Matulionis believes Ukraine will not receive an invitation during the Summit. However, the Summit will define a more precise procedure for Ukraine to receive it.

In addition to an invitation to join NATO, Ukraine wants to receive security guarantees from the West until it becomes a full member of the Alliance.