The United States announced on Friday that it had given the go-ahead for Denmark and the Netherlands to send American F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, once Ukrainian pilots have been trained, “great news” according to the Ukrainian Defense Minister. A US State Department spokesperson said Denmark and the Netherlands had received “formal assurances” on the matter.
“This way, Ukraine will be able to take full advantage of its new capabilities as soon as the first batch of pilots complete their training. The F-16s will contribute to Ukraine’s defense and deterrence capabilities,” the spokesperson added. “Great news from our friends in the US! “, quickly welcomed on X (formerly Twitter) the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Oleksiï Reznikov.
Since the start of the Russian invasion, kyiv has been tirelessly calling for Western aircraft to fight Moscow’s forces, which are vastly superior at this stage. The United States has strict rules on the resale or transfer of American military equipment by allies. The date when the Ukrainian pilots will finish their training is not yet known.
This training, by a coalition of 11 countries, was due to start this month, and officials said they hope the pilots will be ready by early 2024. Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren welcomed the green light on Friday . “It allows us to get things done on the issue of training Ukrainian pilots,” she said on X. But “everything takes time,” Ollongren told the Dutch News Agency. PNA. It will take several months before the Netherlands can actually send F-16s, she said according to the ANP.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed in July that the delivery of F-16 fighter jets would be considered by Moscow as a “nuclear” threat. Although the delivery of combat aircraft should help Ukraine in the long term, the fact remains that its army will not be able to benefit from it quickly, even though its counter-offensive, launched in June and supposed to make it possible to reconquer all the territories occupied by Russia, has so far only allowed the recapture of a handful of villages.