According to an American official, the US has agreed to send F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine to defend itself against the Russian invasion once pilot training is done.
According to the person, Washington has offered Denmark and the Netherlands written assurances that the US will speed clearance of requests to deliver F-16s to Ukraine once the pilots have received training. Denmark and the Netherlands have lately asked for similar assurances.
Any military aircraft transferred to Ukraine must be approved by the United States. An 11 nation alliance was set to begin training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s in Denmark this month. Acting Troels Poulsen, the Danish Defense Minister, stated in July that his country intended to see the “results” of the exercise in early 2024.
NATO members Denmark and the Netherlands are leading international efforts to educate Ukrainian pilots and support crews, repair aircraft, and eventually allow Ukraine to obtain F-16 fighter jets for use in the conflict with Russia. Blinken’s two letters
According to the US official, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken addressed two letters to his Danish and Dutch counterparts, assuring them that the requests would be approved by the US. “I am writing to express the United States’ full support for moving F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and training Ukrainian pilots to become qualified F-16 trainers,” Blinken wrote in his letter, which Reuters obtained a copy of.
“It is critical that Ukraine is able to defend itself against Russia’s ongoing aggression and violation of its sovereignty,” Blinken stated. He stated that granting the applications would allow Ukraine to “fully utilize its new capabilities once the first group of pilots is trained.” US President Joe Biden authorized a program in May to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 combat jets.
In addition to their training in Denmark, a training center in Romania will be established. Ukraine has aggressively pursued F-16 fighter jets manufactured in the United States to assist it in countering Russian air superiority.
