Ukraine will not be able to operate U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets in the near future, the country's air force spokesman acknowledged on Wednesday.

Denmark and the Netherlands are leading the international coalition of countries that are training Ukrainian pilots on the fourth-generation aircraft, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said would begin this month.

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"It's already obvious we won't be able to defend Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets during this autumn and winter," Yuriy Ihnat, the spokesman, told a joint telethon broadcast by Ukrainian channels. "We had big hopes for this plane, that it will become part of air defense, able to protect us from Russia's missiles and drones terrorism."

President Joe Biden, who held off on providing such aircraft to Ukraine for months, agreed to a proposal that would allow the group of allied nations to train Ukrainian pilots.

Zelensky, who had pleaded for the aircraft before Biden's policy reversal, said on Aug. 2, "This month, the training of our Ukrainian pilots will begin. ... Now, we need to work 100% with the countries that have these aircraft and will be able to transfer them to us after training. This is a powerful and challenging task. The delivery and combat use of F-16s by our pilots should take place as soon as possible."

Ukraine is relying on its Soviet-era MiG and Sukhoi fighter jets, but military leaders have argued the more advanced U.S. planes could help them win air superiority, something neither side has had at any point in the war that's been going on for 18 months.

"We heard from the co-leads of the F-16 Training Coalition, Denmark and the Netherlands. They continue to make progress on a cohesive training plan and to help some very eager Ukrainian pilots learn to fly fourth-generation aircraft," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told reporters last month after a meeting with defense officials from roughly 50 countries. "Such initiatives clearly show that members of this Contact Group continue to meet Ukraine's near-term needs while also working to get Ukraine what it needs for the long term."

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One problem that has caused a delay has been the lack of Ukrainian pilots who are English speakers who know the requisite terminology, according to the Washington Post.

Colin Kahl, the former undersecretary of defense for policy, told lawmakers in late February that it could take about 18 months, "even on the most expeditious timeline," to train Ukrainians on the F-16s and for the delivery of them, which he said would take a similar amount of time.