From: 02/13/2023 18:03
Shortly before a meeting of defense ministers, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg reignited the debate over fighter jets for Ukraine. This will be discussed. But the most pressing problem is another.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has not ruled out delivering fighter jets to Ukraine. “Support for Ukraine has developed, as has the war itself,” Stoltenberg said in Brussels. “Now we are also discussing planes.” Defense ministers from NATO countries will meet in Brussels on Tuesday – German department head Boris Pistorius is also expected to attend.
“It is important that NATO is not part of this conflict,” Stoltenberg said. He emphasized the difference between a NATO-imposed no-fly zone and the possibility for NATO partners to supply planes that Ukrainians themselves used. “Those are two very different things.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly urged NATO to impose a no-fly zone. However, such an intervention in what is happening would amount to direct interference by NATO countries in the conflict. To enforce a no-fly zone, NATO jets would have to shoot down Russian planes in extreme cases.
Jets are not a priority
Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently warned against handing over fighter jets. The supply of the aircraft harbors the risk of an escalation and there should also be no “bidding competition with new weapons systems”.
During a visit to Selenksy last week, Britain became the first NATO state to announce it wanted to train Ukrainian fighter pilots – fueling speculation about the delivery of fighter jets.
Stoltenberg talks about logistics races
If individual NATO members decide to hand over aircraft, that “will take some time”, Stoltenberg said. The priority right now is to supply Ukraine with the weapons, ammunition and fuel that have already been promised as soon as possible, he said, in view of further Russian attacks. “It’s clear we’re in a logistical race.”
Weapons, ammunition, supplies – the support provided to Ukraine has consequences: they are reflected in the decline of NATO alliance stocks. Stoltenberg admitted that Ukraine’s consumption is currently significantly higher than Allianz’s production rates. The aim now is to increase production as quickly as possible: “This is essential to continue supporting Ukraine.”
Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Some experts and NATO countries expect military action around the anniversary. Ukrainian authorities, on the other hand, already see feared offensive efforts in the intensified attacks in Donbass.