ANDThis political declaration was signed by Portugal, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom, which “share the conviction that continued support for Ukraine is of the utmost importance” in the face of Russian aggression.

“The parties agree that, in order to assist Ukraine in the defense of its airspace, they will establish a joint training coalition of the Ukrainian Air Force for the operation and maintenance of F-16 fighters , in accordance with the necessary authorizations and the possibility of later including other types of combat aircraft, ”reads the press release to which the Lusa agency had access.

All training will take place outside Ukrainian territory, establishes the declaration signed today at the summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and attended by the Minister of National Defense, Helena Carreiras.

The parties agreed to start training Ukrainian pilots, technicians and support personnel, which will provide the air force of this country with the basic capabilities for the operation and maintenance of F-16 aircraft, which includes the provision of “equipment, instructors and other personnel relevant to such training”.

“The coalition will focus on training, but will also be, in due course, ready to consider other lines of support to ensure Ukraine has a fully functional F-16 capability,” the statement added. .

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov arrived this afternoon at LITEXPO, where the summit is taking place, and when asked about Ukraine’s intentions, he was succinct: “The goal is is membership.

Without answering any further questions, the minister only said that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, would address the country’s dissatisfaction to the representatives of the 31 countries that make up NATO.

Zelensky said today on his way to the NATO summit in Vilnius that it is absurd that the Atlantic Alliance does not give an invitation date for Ukraine’s membership.

The joint F-16 pilot training effort is coordinated by the Netherlands and Denmark.

Two weeks ago, Zelensky criticized the delay in training pilots, at a time when the Ukrainian counter-offensive had already begun and was having difficulty advancing on the ground due to the lines of defense that Russian troops had put in place.

Also read: Ukraine invited to join NATO when it meets the conditions