US Senator proposes inviting American F-16 pilots to fight on Ukraine's side
Photo: Lindsey Graham, US Senator (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The United States authorities should offer retired F-16 pilots to help Ukraine in the war against Russia, stated US Senator Lindsey Graham during a visit to Kyiv.
Following talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Graham said that retired F-16 pilots who want to fight for freedom could be hired by Ukraine.
"They (Ukrainians - ed.) are going to look throughout NATO nations for willing fighter pilots who are retired to come to help them until they can get their pilots trained," he said.
According to Graham, this way Ukraine will be able to use the F-16s transferred from the allies earlier, while its pilots are undergoing training.
"So my message is we need to be all in. Here's what I want to see happen in 2024, calendar year 2024. I'm going to bring this up. I'm asking President Biden, before you leave office, make sure this invitation gets issued," Graham noted.
The problem with pilots
Ukraine has already begun receiving its first F-16 fighters from the allies. According to Western media, they have even been used to protect Ukrainian skies.
However, according to Davyd Arakhamia, leader of the Servant of the People faction in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament - ed.), the partners have promised Ukraine more F-16s than they can train pilots and maintenance personnel.
In late July, The Wall Street Journal wrote that the United States could expand training for Ukrainian pilots on the F-16. There are several options for this.
