The United States and Boeing portrayed a WTO ruling Wednesday on multi-billion- dollar subsidies for Airbus as a 'victory' in the ongoing legal battle, amid signs the EU will lodge an appeal. Boeing CEO Jim McNerney claimed a 'sweeping legal victory' after the ruling found some European state subsidies to Airbus to be illegal. While the France-based firm warned the EU may appeal the WTO's ruling, Airbus Americas chairman Allan McArtor insisted to selfnews that the United States and Boeing 'got crushed on virtually every one of their primary objectives to cripple Airbus, so they may wish to appeal as well.' The WTO's decision, McArtor cautioned, was part of 'a very long journey,' and said the issue 'will go down the road for several years before it is accepted in any form by the WTO.' McNerney also said the WTO panel's decision required that Airbus repay four billion dollars, but McArtor aggressively pushed back on the claim. 'It is quite disingenuous for Boeing to give such misleading statements,' McArtor said in a telephone interview, saying the WTO panel did not require Airbus repay any amount. 'It's misleading at best, and total fabrication at worst,' he said, adding: 'It's got more spin on it than a jet engine.' The six-year US complaint held that unfair subsidies from the EU to Airbus worth up to 200 billion dollars (139 billion euros) helped the European maker seize more than half of the market for civil airlines. McNerney called for 'full compliance with the ruling and a permanent restoration of fair competition within our industry.' US Trade Representative Ron Kirk meanwhile called the report a 'landmark victory,' saying it would 'benefit American aerospace workers, who have had to endure watching Airbus receive these massive subsidies for more than 40 years.' The subsidies, Kirk said, 'have greatly harmed the United States, including causing Boeing to lose sales and market share. Today's ruling helps level the competitive playing field with Airbus.' The European firm said the EU may appeal the WTO's ruling with its head spokesman Rainer Ohler saying 'Airbus, the EU and the member states are closely analyzing the report in advance of a possible review by the WTO Appellate Body.' McArtor told selfnews there was 'sufficient disagreement on several points of the panel's report that would warrant an appeal.' Seventy percent of US claims 'were rejected and wild allegations have been proven wrong,' Airbus said, noting the panel recognized 'neither jobs nor any profits were lost as a result of reimbursable loans to Airbus.' In Washington, however, key Senator Max Baucus hailed the ruling as clearly stating 'Airbus received illegal subsidies -- subsidies that hurt the American aircraft industry and its workers.' Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said it was critical for the European Union 'to comply with this ruling and eliminate its trade-distorting subsidies.' Brussels has yet to decide whether or how precisely it will appeal, pending WTO findings expected July 16 on a parallel probe into US state aid for Boeing. The decision, revealed confidentially to both parties three months ago, is the longawaited findings on a US complaint launched in 2004. Washington said the moves impeded imports of large US civil airliners in world markets, including the 27-nation EU, by undercutting the price of US airliners, forcing down prices significantly and costing lost sales. Boeing, said McArtor, also wanted the WTO report to pass judgement on state support for the A350, but failed to get anything out of the panel. 'Clearly, Europe wishes to be compliant, so its terms of the A350 loans will be as compliant as it believes it needs to be. As the panel pointed out, it's a very valid way for governments to link with industry -- it's a perfectly legitimate way to do business,' he said. Airbus meanwhile pushed back at reports that the WTO ruling would derail ongoing efforts to win a 35-billion-dollar Pentagon contract to supply new aerial refueling tankers to the US Air Force. The administration of President Barack Obama and the Pentagon 'have opposed every attempt to use the ongoing WTO commercial trade dispute to derail the KC-X competition,' said North America spokesman Guy Hicks for Airbus parent EADS. Boeing is locked in a fierce battle with its European rival for the tankers deal, with both sides trading accusations of unfair competition. 