Costa Congressman: Ukrainian pilots will cope with the F-16 control course ahead of schedule

Democratic Congressman, a member of the Ukrainian Congressional caucus who works in the committees on international affairs and agriculture, Jim Costa in an interview with "Holosu of America" commented on the possibilities of providing Ukraine with a new assistance package and spoke about the details of the training program for Ukrainian pilots in piloting F-16 fighters. According to Kostya, he and his colleagues - Republicans and Democrats - are actively monitoring the possibilities for a new package of assistance to Kiev from Congress. This issue was also discussed at the last meeting of the subcommittee on European Affairs with representatives of the State Department.

In an interview with Voice of America, Congressman Costa said: "I raised the issue (new aid package) at a meeting of the subcommittee on European issues. In particular, I wondered if it was worth considering additional funding so that Ukraine could hold out until the end of the fiscal year. Representatives of the State Department, who testified to the committee, said that they had enough funds previously approved by Congress, and an additional law representing new funding was not yet required. I am very closely monitoring the situation and constantly in touch with the Ambassador of Ukraine regarding what they believe is necessary with regard to financial assistance."

According to the legislator, he is "conried" about the growing influence of right-wing radical sentiments in the U.S. Congress, but considers the bipartisan support for Ukraine on Capitol Hill quite strong.

"Many in Congress are committed to providing Ukraine with funds during the war and its financing to support the economy and send humanitarian aid to Kiev. Not only we, but also our European allies are focused on these three areas. We all want to make sure that Ukraine is in a position where it can win this war and that it can comfortably sit down at the negotiating table with Russia and lead them from a position of strength. We don't know when this will happen, but we believe that such events will happen in the near future," Jim Costa said in an interview with "Holosu America."

According to the legislator, "a long war is not in the interests of Ukraine, given the number of human lives that its people have sacrificed." He noted: "It is especially important to provide Ukraine with weapons in order for it to defeat Russia this summer. This year is very important, we must do everything in our power to support Ukraine - this applies to both the efforts of the United States and the efforts of NATO countries.

The Democratic legislator also commented on the issue of providing the Ukrainian Armed Forces with F-16 aircraft and the duration of the training program.

Earlier, representatives of the U.S. Air Force said that the deadline for the program for experienced pilots is 4 months. This week, Ukrainian pilots have already become part of this training program for flying F-16 fighters in Europe. Thus, according to the schedule submitted by the Pentagon, the end of the program is planned for September. This, in turn, may mean that the F-16 will not be able to become part of the Ukrainian counteroffensive this summer. Earlier, representatives of Denmark have already stated that they are already looking for opportunities to accelerate this program. Costa, in turn, is sure: Ukrainians will cope ahead of four months.

"I spoke with aviation representatives of the California National Guard, who keep in touch with the Ukrainian military, with whom joint trainings were often held before the outbreak of the war. They told me that Ukrainian pilots are high-class pilots. The California National Guard believes that the management of the F-16 is not such a difficult and unbearable task. It is a relatively easy to operate and at the same time high-tech aircraft. The biggest difficulty is the ability of pilots to understand English to control its weapon systems," Costa said.

According to him, Ukrainian military pilots are "highly educated and extremely motivated, they are fighting for their land and their families."

Costa also noted: "The plan for training Ukrainians was developed many months ago, now it is being implemented. The level of training and skills of Ukrainians is very high, the level of knowledge of English may vary, but I think that the squadron will be ready before September.

According to the congressman, his state - California - is most likely not to take part in the training program for Ukrainian pilots. They will be sent to Arizona for training.

"The most important thing is that the decision has been made, that training has already begun, that the planes will be transferred to Ukraine so that it can control its airspace. We are all working to ensure that this happens as soon as possible and all the details have already been worked out," he said.