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[[The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, made up of military leaders from about 50 nations, met Thursday to discuss what Kyiv needs to counter Russian invaders, along with plans for Ukrainians to train on and acquire F-16 fighter jets. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hosted the virtual meeting from the Pentagon. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has details.]]
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptUS RUSSIA UKRAINE
HEADLINE: New Plan for F-16 Training for Ukraine Led by Denmark, Netherlands
TEASER: US General Mark Milley emphasizes that U.S.-supplied weapons intended only for fighting in Ukraine, not direct attacks into Russia. We have asked the Ukrainians not to use U.S.-supplied equipment for direct attacks into Russia.
PUBLISHED AT: Thursday 05/25/2023 6:43p
BYLINE: Carla Babb
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Pentagon
VIDEOGRAPHER:
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Newhouse, Jepsen (bal)
VIDEO SOURCE (S):
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:00
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: VPKGN
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((ANCHOR))
[[The Ukraine Defense Contact Group, made up of military leaders from about 50 nations, met Thursday to discuss what Kyiv needs to counter Russian invaders, along with plans for Ukrainians to train on and acquire F-16 fighter jets. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hosted the virtual meeting from the Pentagon. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has details.]]
((NARRATOR))
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is enters its 16th month,
Western military leaders vowed more support for Ukraine was on the way, promising more munitions for Ukraine’s ground-based air defenses
and a new plan to train Ukraine on F-16 fighter jets, an expensive, international effort that will be led by Denmark and the Netherlands.
((Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense))
“This costs money, and not every country has F-16s or is able to chime in, in terms of training or maintenance and sustainment, but they can provide monetary assistance.”
((NARRATOR))
The top U.S. military officer, General Mark Milley, tried to temper expectations amid the excitement surrounding the F-16 announcement.
((General Mark Milley, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman))
“There are no magic weapons. An F-16 is not, and neither is anything else.” // Ten F-16s is a billion dollars. You add the sustainment costs, that’s another billion dollars. So you’re talking about $2 billion for 10 aircraft. The Russians have 1,000 fourth- and fifth-generation fighters.”
((NARRATOR)) ((mandatory courtesy: Ukraine Ministry of Defense))
In total, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group has committed about $65 billion in security assistance for Ukraine since the start of the war.
And officials made clear they want those weapons to change the dynamics on the battlefield, not to attack Russian territory.
((General Mark Milley, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman)) ((20:06-19))
“We have asked the Ukrainians not to use U.S.-supplied equipment for direct attacks into Russia. Why is that? Because we don't want — this is a Ukrainian war. It is not a war between the United States and Russia. It's not a war between NATO and Russia.”
((NARRATOR))
Russian officials have said F-16s would raise the question of NATO involvement and the risk of nuclear apocalypse.
It also said a cross-border raid into Russian territory this week used U.S-supplied weapons, a claim the Pentagon says it is looking into.
Anti-Kremlin Russian paramilitary groups claimed responsibility, and Ukraine has denied involvement in the attacks.
CARLA BABB VOA NEWS THE PENTAGON
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
THE PENTAGON
Embargo DateMay 25, 2023 17:59 EDT
Byline
CARLA BABB VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
