Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra confirm that the US has approved the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine the pilots’ training.
“I can confirm that there has been an exchange of letters between myself and Antony Blinken, based on the fact that the Secretary of Defense and I have approached the United States to explore our options,” Rasmussen said in a commentary to the TV 2 channel.
The Danish Foreign Minister added that they had received a “friendly response” to their request,
At the same time, the Foreign Minister emphasized that the timing of transferring the fighter jets to Ukraine has not been determined yet.
“We have created an international coalition with training activities led by Denmark and the Netherlands, and we are successfully continuing. Then we will talk about the possible aircraft transfer; we are discussing this issue with our allies,” Rasmussen said.
Dutch Foreign Minister also welcomed the US decision and added that “this marks a major milestone for Ukraine to defend its people and its country.”
We welcome Washington's decision to pave the way for sending #F16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine. Many thanks to @SecBlinken for the good and swift cooperation. Now, we will further discuss the subject with our European partners. ???????????????????????? 1/2
— Wopke Hoekstra (@WBHoekstra) August 17, 2023
On 8 August, Deputy Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said that The United States allowed other countries to train Ukrainian pilots to fly American F-16 fighter jets. At a briefing, she mentioned that Denmark and the Netherlands were taking the lead on training.
Related:
- Kirby says US, Europe are working to ensure that Ukrainian pilots start training on F-16 jets “as soon as possible”
- First Ukrainian pilots who undergo F-16 training probably won’t be ready to fly them until next summer – Washington Post
- Zelenskyy: Ukrainian pilots to start training on F-16 fighters in August
- Promised F-16 training for Ukrainians delayed due to “miscalculation” of one of partner countries, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister says