Zelenskyy: Ukraine to receive combat aircraft after start of offensive

Partners will provide Ukraine with combat aircraft after the start of the offensive of its armed forces, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press conference with President of Finland Sauli Niinisto, reported from UNIAN.

The president of Finland noted that the country is ready to provide its own fighter jets to Ukraine. He noted that Finland does not have F-16 aircraft, but there are Hornet fighters, but they are very old, and there are not very many of them.

"The Finnish position is geographically significantly different from many European countries and NATO countries... Now we are replacing outdated Hornets with F-35s. These are very large purchase volumes for a country like us,” he said.

At the same time, the president of Finland added that his country could not give Ukraine its Hornets before it received new aircraft, and by that time the Hornets would already be unusable.

"But we like your planes...” Zelenskyy replied.

He once again stressed that Ukraine needs combat aircraft.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said in early April that the Ukrainian counteroffensive could begin in the summer.

Zelenskyy on May 3 arrived on an unannounced visit to Finland, where a summit of the Nordic countries and Ukraine will be held. During the talks, Zelenskyy and Niinisto are expected to discuss bilateral relations and support for Kyiv. In the afternoon, a summit of the Nordic countries will be held, at which further support for Ukraine, the development of Kyiv’s relations with the EU and NATO will be discussed.





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