Only six Ukrainian pilots have been trained by European NATO members to fly F-16 fighter jets due to be delivered to Kiev next month, writes The Telegraph.
Ukraine has been calling on its allies for months to send them the planes, claiming they would help defend against long-range strikes and bring a swift end to the war.
Citing Ukrainian and Western officials, the Washington Post reported that not only are there too few trained pilots to give Ukraine an advantage, but the planes cannot be used immediately on the front lines because of Russia's improved air defenses.
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Several European countries are involved in the Ukrainian F-16 pilot training program, which includes language training in Britain. But the project had limited seats and was marred by delays. Officials said Ukraine will get just one squadron of F-16s this year, roughly 20 fighters, far fewer than it had hoped.
The Telegraph article did not specify how many Ukrainian pilots were trained in the US. Russian military bloggers were quick to poke fun at the situation, especially because of the hype surrounding the F-16 and the hope that they could change the course of the war.
The Telegram channel Fighterbomber, which specializes in aviation, said that 6 pilots means that Ukraine will only be able to use two fighters at the same time because “one pilot cannot work around the clock”. Considering the vast territory of Ukraine and the long front, this is practically nothing.
For two years, Kiev has been asking for F-16 fighter jets to counter Russia's dominance in the skies. A total of 80 F-16 fighter jets were promised to Ukraine by Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium. But Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian commanders complained that, as with other arms promises, it was too little, too late. Officials said that when the F-16s finally arrive in Ukraine, they won't be the game-changers hoped for.
One of the reasons is that the Ukrainian Air Force will use the Western F-16 fighters primarily for self-defense, so as not to risk sending them to the front lines where they could be shot down.
The basing of F-16s in Ukraine has also become an issue. F-16s need a long, clear runway, free of rocks or debris. For the past few weeks, Russia has been bombing the only suitable bases.
The publication also states that relations between Kyiv and Washington are deteriorating. US media reported that the Kremlin called Washington earlier this month to warn that Ukraine was “planning a covert operation“ that would spark a bigger war. Angered and alarmed, the US reportedly ordered Kiev to call off the attack. It is not specified what she was.