U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said Ukraine could invite retired Western F-16 pilots who want to fight for freedom to fight on its side. He made the statement during a briefing after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on August 12.
"The Ukrainians will look to NATO countries for ready pilots who have retired to help them while they train their own pilots," he said.
According to the senator, in this way, Ukraine will be able to use the F-16 aircraft provided by its partners earlier, and Ukrainian pilots will be trained accordingly. He plans to raise this issue in the US.
"My message is: we must be fully engaged. This is what I want to see in 2024: I will raise this issue. I am asking President Biden, before you leave office, to make sure that this invitation is extended,'' Lindsey Graham added.
The US Air Force's deadliest F-16 pilot, retired Lt. Col. Dan Hampton, who fought in the Persian Gulf, Kosovo and Iraq wars, previously said he was ready to help Ukraine. He noted that he was not alone among the pilots. In particular, they could help with pilot training directly in Ukraine.
Dan Hampton added that in the short term it is necessary for Ukrainian pilots to be "supplemented by F-16 pilots from other countries who have thousands and thousands of hours of combat experience in these aircraft".
"You decided on the F-16 and you already have them. And there's a big enough pool of pilots like me who would come and help if we were asked, that could make a difference,'' he said.