The US joins the “fighter jet coalition” and supports the training of Ukrainian pilots on such aircraft. In his announcement, US President Biden left open whether his country would also deliver the corresponding jets.
US President Joe Biden has informed the G7 leaders at the meeting that the United States will approve the training of Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter jets, including the F-16, according to a senior US official .
First, pilots should be trained. Then it will be decided whether, when and how many aircraft will be delivered and who will make them available, said Biden. The training will take place outside of Ukraine at locations in Europe and will take months.
coalition of several countries
Great Britain and the Netherlands had already announced an F-16 initiative for Ukraine on Tuesday. France is also included in the “fighter jet coalition”, although the country does not own any F-16 jets. Denmark announced that the country would also participate.
With the promise, US President Joe Biden is fulfilling a wish made months ago by his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelenskyj. It is unclear whether the USA is also open to the delivery of aircraft. Ukraine has been pushing for this for some time.
Zelenskyj pleased with the decision
Zelenskyj welcomed US support as a “historic decision”. “This will significantly strengthen our army in the sky,” Zelenskyy tweeted. “I look forward to discussing the practical implementation of this decision during the #G7 Summit in Hiroshima.”
The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said on Ukrainian television that Zelenskyy wanted to meet US President Joe Biden in Hiroshima, among others. “Today I can officially speak about the formation of the aviation coalition, and that means that very soon Ukraine will have everything to protect its skies, cities and citizens,” Yermak said.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wrote on Twitter that this was a “welcome announcement”. The UK will work with the US, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark to ensure Ukraine has the air defense capability it needs.