A US official said the US had approved sending F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine to defend against Russian invaders. The aircraft will be supplied at the end of the pilot training phase, scheduled for early 2024.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Ukraine has repeatedly requested the supply of US-made F-16 fighters to counter Russian air superiority.
Washington has officially assured Denmark and the Netherlands that the United States will expedite approval of F-16 transfer requests to Ukraine once the pilots are trained.
"We welcome Washington's decision to pave the way for sending F-16 fighters to UkraineDutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.We will now discuss the matter further with our European partners".
The Danish defense minister, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, in a statement released to the Ritzau news agency announced: “The government has repeatedly said that a donation is a natural next step after training. We are discussing this with our closest allies and I expect we will soon be able to be more concrete about it".
NATO members Denmark and the Netherlands have spearheaded international efforts to train pilots and support personnel, maintain aircraft, and enable Ukraine to obtain F-16s for use in its war against Russia .
This is a summary of the contents of the letters sent by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to his counterparts in Denmark and the Netherlands, in which he assured that the requests would be approved. “I am writing to express the full support of the United States both for the transfer of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and for the training of Ukrainian pilots by qualified F-16 instructors” specifying that “It is crucial that Ukraine is able to defend itself against continued Russian aggression and violations of its sovereignty".
Blinken said approval of the requests will allow Ukraine to draw “take full advantage of its new capabilities as soon as the first batch of pilots have completed their training".