Ukraine will not receive Western fighter jets in the short term, i.e. during the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Source. This was stated by Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, in an interview with LBC.
"The discussion on fighter jets is important, but it will not be resolved in the short term for this counteroffensive. Training those pilots, training the technicians, providing a logistics organization that can actually support those aircraft will not be available until the counteroffensive begins. We shouldn't mix these two discussions – I think it's important and understandable that Ukraine is asking for these fighters – but we shouldn't mix that with the discussion of a counteroffensive right now," Bauer said.
Asked whether Ukraine can win the war without Western fighters, the admiral said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have an advantage because of Western weapons, better training and higher motivation.
"We knew from history, basically, that this is an extremely important part of military operations. We see it again here in Ukraine, people are fighting for what they want – it's an existential struggle – Ukrainians understand what they are fighting for, Russians have no idea what they are fighting for. So it matters. And at the same time, it's difficult, as I said earlier, it's not an easy job to overcome these barriers. I think they can be successful, absolutely, but it will take time," Bauer said.
"And as they move forward and take more territory, they're going to have to take air defense systems and defend what they've just conquered," he added.
Background. As a reminder, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said in an interview with the Washington Post: "I don't need 120 airplanes. I am not going to threaten the whole world. A very limited number would be enough. But they are needed. Because there is no other way".