US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that Ukraine has reclaimed around 50% of its territory Russia initially seized in its invasion. In an interview with CNN on Sunday Blinken said that while Ukraine has seized the said territories, its fight to regain more will be “a very hard fight”.
“These are still relatively early days of the counteroffensive. It is tough…It will not play out over the next week or two. We’re still looking, I think at several months,” he said.
On being asked if Ukraine will get F-16 fighter jets, Blinke said he believed it would. He added that it is important to ensure that when Ukraine gets the jets, they are trained to use them properly, maintain and use them in a smart way.
Training Ukrainian pilots
11 nations will come together to start training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets in August in Denmark. A training centre will be set up in Romania.
In June, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that the progress of the nation’s counteroffensive against Russia was “slower than desired”. Ukraine has recaptured some villages in the south and territory around the ruined city of Bakhmut in the east, but has not had a major breakthrough against heavily defended Russian lines.
It has long appealed for the Lockheed Martin-made (LMT.N) F-16s, but US National Security adviser Jake Sullivan, said last month there was no final decision on Washington sending the aircraft. US officials have estimated it would take at least 18 months for training and delivery of the planes.
The United States has given Ukraine more than $41 billion in military aid since Russia invaded in February 2022.
(With Inputs from Reuters)