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Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Germany does not fulfil requirements for Ukraine jet alliance - def min

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius addresses the media as he meets with Britain's Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace in Berlin, Germany, May 17, 2023. REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben

Germany does not have the training capacity or military equipment to actively contribute to a British-Dutch initiative to supply Ukraine with fighter jets, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday.

"We cannot play an active role in such an alliance, in such a coalition, because we have neither the training capacities, the competencies or the planes," Pistorius said in Berlin after a meeting with his British counterpart in Berlin.

During a summit of European leaders in Reykjavik this week, Britain said it was working with the Netherlands to forge an international coalition to help Ukraine obtain F-16 jets from its allies, though Britain, Germany and the U.S. have so far balked at supplying their own planes.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and Britain's Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace shake hands during a press conference as they meet in Berlin, Germany, May 17, 2023. REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben

(Reporting by Rachel More, Editing by Friederike Heine)

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