Biden told world leaders at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, Japan the U.S. would support F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots.
The training will take place outside Ukraine at various sites in Europe and could begin in the “coming week,” according to a senior administration official.
Countries participating in the joint training initiative will decide when to provide the jets after the training and how many of the warplanes to send to Kyiv.
“President Biden is sending a powerful signal of how the United States and our allies and partners are fully united in ensuring Ukraine remains sovereign, independent, and secure with the ability to defend against and deter future attacks,” the official told The Hill.
Ukraine has asked for advanced western fighter jets since the beginning of the war, arguing American-made F-16s and similar European aircraft could help defend Ukrainian skies.
Ukraine operates Soviet-era jets such as MiG-29s, which are far less advanced than western warplanes such as F-16s.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he “welcomes” the F-16 training initiative.
“This will greatly enhance our army in the sky,” Zelensky tweeted.
The White House has so far resisted sending the fourth-generation aircraft, citing concerns about the length of training. Allied countries with F-16s must get U.S. approval to transfer the American-made jets.
Earlier this year a small band of Ukrainian pilots undertook an assessment in the U.S. to see how long training would take. According to Yahoo News, training was found to take about four months.
Washington has also repeatedly said the jets are not what Kyiv needs in this phase of the war, an assessment that remained unchanged by the Pentagon during briefings this week.
Some European allies have already opened the door for the possibility of western jets for Kyiv.
The U.K. announced training for NATO-standard jets earlier this year and Poland and Slovakia sent MiG-29s to Ukraine.
We have the full article available at digital-stage.thehill.com.
