A U.S. official confirmed on Thursday that the Pentagon has approved the transfer of F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Denmark to Ukraine once pilot training is completed.
Ukraine has actively pursued U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets in an effort to combat Russian air superiority.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on X (formerly Twitter): “We welcome Washington’s decision to pave the way for sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.”
The Danish defense ministry stated on Friday that a coalition of eleven nations will begin training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets by the end of the month.
NATO members Denmark and the Netherlands have been at the forefront of international efforts to train pilots, support staff, and aircraft maintenance personnel in order to pave the way for Ukraine to acquire F-16s to use in its conflict with Russia.
In May, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated that his country was seriously considering providing Ukraine with F-16s, despite the fact that it is currently phasing out the fighter aircraft from its own military.
Currently, the Netherlands has 24 operational F-16s, which will be phased out by the middle of 2024, according to data from the Dutch defense ministry. An additional 18 jets are currently available for purchase, of which 12 have been tentatively sold.
