A Dutch air force F-16 pulls away from a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker after refueling over Germany in 2018. The Netherlands is one of the countries spearheading a coalition to train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16. (Luke Milano/Air Force)
The U.S. has greenlighted delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, according to the Dutch foreign minister, but it will be at least a year before the aircraft can be used in the fight against Russia.
In a letter to the Netherlands and Denmark, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the planes can be sent as soon as pilot training is completed, Reuters reported Friday. The news agency said it had seen the letter but didn’t indicate when it was dated.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media in Washington on Aug. 15, 2023. In a letter to the Netherlands and Denmark, Blinken approved the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as soon as pilot training is complete. (Ron Przysucha/State Department)
On Sunday, the Netherlands and Denmark announced they will give F-16 warplanes to Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it an important motivation for his country's forces, embroiled in a difficult counteroffensive against Russia.
The promise of new fighter jets came the day after an unusually brazen Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian theater that killed seven people and wounded almost 150 others in the northern city of Chernihiv.
Denmark and the Netherlands spearhead a coalition of 11 countries that have pledged to support training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16.
But the first group of six Ukrainian pilots is not expected to finish training until next summer, The Washington Post reported Aug. 11.
The Netherlands has 24 operational F-16s, slated to be phased out by mid-2024. An additional 18 are available for sale, 12 of which have been sold provisionally, according to Reuters.
The Danish air force has 43 of the jets, of which 30 still are in use. Those planes are set to be phased out by 2025 as Denmark prioritizes sending the aircraft to Ukraine and acquiring the stealth F-35, Danish broadcaster DR reported on June 26.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra celebrated the U.S. decision, thanking Blinken for speedy cooperation in approving transfer of the aircraft. He called the decision a milestone for Ukraine.
“Now, we will further discuss the subject with our European partners,” Hoekstra said in a post late Thursday to his official account on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen also confirmed receipt of Blinken’s letter, saying it removed a barrier to sending the jets to Ukraine. Denmark and its allies now will determine next steps, Rasmussen told DR on Friday.
Because the F-16 is an American weapons system, U.S. approval is required before the aircraft can be sold or transferred to another country.
The White House repeatedly rebuffed Ukraine’s efforts to acquire the jet but reversed course in May, saying it will support efforts to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.
In May, the Pentagon said any eventual transfer of the F-16 to Ukraine was “meant to support mid- to long-term defense needs rather than defense in the short term for an expected counter-offensive against Russia.”
Ukraine has sought the supersonic fighter jets to bolster its air defenses against Russian missile attacks, among other uses.
Contributing: The Associated Press
