Selensky acquires fighter jets from Belgium as he pressures Biden.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a security pact with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. This deal contains €977 million worth of Belgian military aid for Ukraine this year and a promise of support for the next ten years.
The first F-16 fighter jets are anticipated to be delivered at the end of 2024. In exchange, Belgium is set to receive modern F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. However, their delivery is getting delayed. Additionally, Ukraine is to receive armored vehicles, ammunition, aid for mine clearance, and soldier training.
Belgium is part of a coalition led by the Netherlands and Denmark that plans to give Ukraine F-16 fighter jets. Pilots from Ukraine are currently being prepared for their use. At Belgium's military airfield of Melsbroek near Brussels, Zelensky met trainers.
At a press conference, Zelensky requested maximum attendance at a peace summit in Switzerland on June 15 and 16. If U.S. President Joe Biden doesn't attend, it would be "an applause for Putin," Zelensky stated. Currently, Washington has not confirmed Biden's attendance.
Russia was not invited to the summit. Zelensky accused Putin of wanting to "bring the meeting to failure" with 160 invited delegations. In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called this "absurd" and claimed that Russia should be a part of the conversation on resolving the conflict.
Following Brussels, Zelensky was scheduled to head to Portugal. Earlier, he had visited Spain and received promises of €1 billion in military aid.
On Tuesday, EU defense ministers convened in Brussels. Borrell called for Ukraine to be allowed to use Western weapons against Russian targets, stating this is "possible under international law and not a contradiction." Previously, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had urged allies to eliminate restrictions.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is facing increased pressure. While he has refused to use German weapons against targets in Russia, citing the risk of "escalation" and a possibility of a "war between Russia and NATO," Borrell said the member states must balance the escalation risk against the need for Ukraine to defend themselves.
German Parliamentary State Secretary Siemtje Möller participated in the Brussels meeting and signed a declaration with Austria, sealing its membership in the European Sky Shield (ESSI) air defense initiative. So far, 21 countries are involved in the project, which Scholz initiated. Crucial allies like France, Italy, and Poland are not part of it.
Poland and Greece recently demanded an EU-funded air defense system. Möller stated such a project shouldn't be "a competitor" to the German initiative, which is under NATO's umbrella.
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Source: www.stern.de
