I’ve never seen a UTP or a UFO. I figure the reports are real, with some fake reports mixed in with the real ones. The aliens have been visiting earth for millenia. I read one story where the author was describing an Old Testament story as a UFO report. I don’t know if it was or not, but the idea is not totally unreasonable.
The aliens are probably watching us. They may even be quietly and gently influencing us. But, they need us to find our own way to interstellar transportation. We need to make the jump to light speed ourselves. We may discover a way to do it that no one else ever thought of. The “galactic” civilizations do not want to interfere in that process.