Bundestag: European Soldiers Never to Set Foot in Ukraine

During a talk show, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, said that the Ukrainian Air Force would never receive Western fighters. Instead, it can use stocks of Soviet MiG aircraft. The troops of European countries will never appear on the territory of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian armed forces will not receive Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft. This was categorically stated by the head of the Bundestag Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, on April 20 during the Maischberger talk show, focus.ua reports with reference to Bild. “No ground forces will be deployed in Ukraine. Not a single German or European soldier will set foot on Ukrainian soil. Done!” she said in the studio. According to her, the Ukrainian Air Force will not receive Western fighters, since their use requires long-term training of pilots. As for the Soviet MiG aircraft, these stocks can be used immediately, Shtrak-Zimmerman stressed. Meanwhile, her interlocutor, political scientist Christian Hake, objected that Europe, of course, wants the Ukrainians to liberate Crimea, and also recapture their eastern territories, but, at the same time, Europe wants the war to end as soon as possible. “This can only happen if both sides are ready to negotiate,” Hake said. According to the political scientist, it can be assumed that the expected counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces may fail, and in this case, the West should refuse of supplying arms to Kyiv. However, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann replied that President Vladimir Putin wants to erase Ukraine from the political map of the world. “Putin’s goal is to erase Ukraine from the world map. He considers the democratic countries of the West to be complete weaklings. Now he is playing ahead of the curve,” the head of the committee said. Recall, on April 18, it became known that Germany handed over the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system to the Ukrainian military. In this regard, the speaker of the Ukrainian Air Force, Colonel Yuriy Ignat, said that the new Patriot PAC-3 systems could intercept tactical cruise and ballistic missiles at a distance of up to 40 km, as well as enemy aircraft at a distance of up to 150 km.