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| Joe Biden alongside Sweden's Magdalena Andersson and Finland's Sauli Niinisto |
International Military - A US general has urged the Joe Biden government and other Western countries to send fighter jets to Ukraine as soon as possible. His insistence contradicts the Biden government's policy of rejecting it from the start to avoid the outbreak of World War III.
The commander of the California National Guard, Major General David Baldwin, said that the Soviet-designed fighter jet, which Ukrainian pilots were familiar with, was the best option in the short term to counter the Russian invasion. "The MiG is the best direct solution to support Ukraine, but US or Western fighter jets are options that should be explored as soon as possible," Baldwin told Politico on Saturday (06/04/2022).
On Thursday, the general also revealed to reporters that US military officials helped their Ukrainian counterparts submit requests to Western countries for fighter jets. One scheme, which requires NATO member states; Poland, turning over its MiGs to Ukraine, with the US replacing the delivered planes with F-16s, failed in March.
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However, General Baldwin still hopes that the Ukrainian Air Force will eventually receive such an aircraft. In addition, Baldwin said that over the next six months to a year and then in the longer term, delivery of Western-made fighter jets should also be considered. "Discussions about the number and types and capabilities of the aircraft are needed," he said.
The commander of the California National Guard said the focus should be on finding a system that would be effective, available and affordable for Ukraine.
The California National Guard has long had close ties to members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, where the two sides have been conducting joint exercises since the 1990s.