The United States announced on Friday that they have given the green light for Denmark and the Netherlands to send American F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, once Ukrainian pilots are trained to operate them.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated that Denmark and the Netherlands have received “formal assurances” regarding this matter. “This way, Ukraine will be able to fully utilize its new capabilities as soon as the first group of pilots completes their training. The F-16s will contribute to Ukraine’s defense and deterrence capabilities,” the spokesperson added.
The date when Ukrainian pilots will finish their training is not yet known. This training, conducted by a coalition of 11 countries, was supposed to begin this month, and officials have expressed hope that the pilots will be ready by early 2024. Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov quickly welcomed the news on X (formerly known as Twitter), saying, “Great news from our friends in the United States!” Kiev has persistently requested these planes to support its counter-offensive on the front lines.
Dutch Minister of Defense Kajsa Ollongren praised the approval on Friday. “This allows us to proceed with the issue of training Ukrainian pilots,” she said on X. However, “everything takes time,” Ollongren emphasized to the Dutch news agency ANP. It will take several months before the Netherlands can actually send F-16s, she specified according to ANP.
The United States has strict rules regarding the resale or transfer of American military equipment by allies. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in July that the delivery of F-16 fighter jets would be seen by Moscow as a “nuclear” threat.
