Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, confirmed on Tuesday that Kyiv had asked Canberra to consider handing over decommissioned F/A-18 fighter jets.
Myroshnychenko said this in a comment to the AFP agency.
As the diplomat clarified, Ukraine's request concerns the assessment of the condition of about four dozen aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force, which are to be replaced by more modern F-35s.
"There was a request for information. Ukraine is studying the capabilities of fighter jets, including this aircraft," Myroshnychenko noted.
Retired Australian Major General Mick Ryan told AFP the F-18s could help Ukraine "balance the odds" against Russia's larger and better-equipped air force to prevent strikes on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.
F/A-18 is an American carrier-based fighter-bomber developed in the 1970s. Today it is the main combat aircraft of the US Navy. It is also in service with a number of European and Asian countries. A number of sources refer to the aircraft as the F-18, but this designation was dropped in 1982 and is not currently official.
Previously, the local media wrote about discussions between Australia and the USA regarding the possibility of transferring F/A-18 Hornets to Ukraine.
