Biden approves plan to train Ukrainian pilots for F-16 fighter jets

Training on the US-made fighters will take place in Europe and will take several months to complete, one of the officials who confirmed the information said. US officials have estimated the shortest time needed to train and transfer the F-16s is 18 months.

“As the training progresses over the coming months, the coalition of nations that are part of our effort will decide when to actually provide the jets, how many we will provide and who will provide them,” the official said.

While the official did not say which countries would participate, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the UK would work with the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark “to provide Ukraine with the combat air capability it needs”.

The US hopes to begin training on fourth-generation fighters, including the F-16, in the coming weeks, the official added.

Ukraine is asking the West for the Lockheed Martin-made planes as it prepares to launch a major counter-offensive in its conflict with Russia.

Ukraine, which does not possess any Western-designed fighter jets, says the F-16 is far more effective than the Soviet-era fighters it still uses. Poland and Slovakia have already delivered 27 MiG-29s to Ukraine.

Western governments have been wary of leaving their countries unprotected by giving away too much military equipment. They have also avoided sending anything that could strike deep into Russian territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week received pledges from the UK and the Netherlands to help build a “jet alliance”, although the leaders of both countries stopped short of saying they would send planes.

On Friday, Mr Zelenskyy welcomed the news. "This will significantly strengthen our military in the skies. I am confident that the practical implementation of this decision will be discussed at the G7 summit in Hiroshima," he wrote on Twitter.

Huy Hoang (according to Reuters, CNA)

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