The German government on Monday again rejected calls to supply fighter jets to Ukraine after opposition leader Friedrich Merz of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) said he supported the idea.
Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that Ukraine will receive a number of F-16 fighter jets from Western partners this summer, which Germany does not possess.
“There is no point in handing over different types of fighter jets to Ukraine,” Hebestreit said. “Although fighter jets may look the same from the outside, they are very different to operate. It requires long-term training,” he added.
Merz had asked for further aid for Ukraine in an interview with German broadcaster ARD on Sunday.
“It seems to me somewhat reasonable to help Ukraine now to at least regain control of its own airspace. Because these missile attacks, which are now increasingly taking place, on infrastructure, on electricity and water supplies, on hospitals, nursing homes, cannot be brought under control from the ground alone,” he said.
Merz added: “That is why the delivery of fighter jets to Ukraine has already been decided in many countries around the world, including in Europe. We, as Germans, must not lag behind.”
Hebestreit said Monday that Merz’s proposal was not new and that Merz should have known that Germany could not supply the same type of aircraft to Ukraine.
A spokesman for the German Defense Ministry said Germany must continue to provide specialized assistance to Ukraine. “It has become clear in the past, with regard to aid to Ukraine, that it is not better if everyone tries to do everything. Instead, we must focus on what each country or group of countries can do best,” he said.