US allows Denmark, Netherlands to send F-16s to Ukraine post-training

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
19 Aug 2023 14:08

It remains unclear how long it will be before the first set of Ukrainian pilots are completely ready to fly the jets.

US Air Force F-16 fighter jet is on display during the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, north of Paris, France, Monday, June 19, 2023 (AP)

The US State Department announced on Friday that it will allow the Netherlands and Denmark to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets but only once the country's pilots are trained to operate them, as both European nations are leading the training programs.

"This way, Ukraine can take full advantage of its new capabilities as soon as the first set of pilots complete their training," a State Department spokesperson said.

It remains unclear how long it will be before the first set of Ukrainian pilots are completely ready to fly the jets, with officials hoping for pilots to be ready by 2024 while training by an 11-nation coalition is due to start this month.

Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov praised the "great news from our friends in the United States" alongside Netherlands Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren who posted on social media that "It allows us to follow through on the training of Ukrainian pilots". She did acknowledge however that "everything takes time", as reported by the ANP new agency.

The US version of the F-16 contains better combat capabilities than those of Ukraine but as a result, requires more training for pilots. "We need 60 to 80 F-16 planes in order to close the skies well, especially in the area near the front," said Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky, back in July.

It is worth noting that the Ukrainian President has been desperate for fighter jets, repeatedly pushing for advanced Western jets, but Kiev's international supporters had balked at doing so until recently.

"We have freedom, give us wings to protect it," Zelensky told UK Members of Parliament as he toured European countries in the hope of securing fighter jets back in February.

Even further before then, back in May, Ukraine's Yuri Sak, an advisor to the Ukrainian defense minister, expressed hopes to receive the first batch of F-16s in September or October of this year. That, however, is highly unlikely to happen, given that training is not over yet and language is seeming to be an impediment. In addition, the counteroffensive does not seem to be working much in Ukraine's favor.

Politico reported earlier that as Ukrainian officials blame the West's over-positive hopes for the counteroffensive against Russia, Kiev is also to blame for its failing retaliation.