Denmark, Portugal join 'fighter jet' coalition

Denmark will train Ukrainian pilots on U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets and is open to discussions on their possible transfer, Acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on May 19.

Speaking with Danish media outlets DR and Ritzau, Poulsen didn't provide any further details on the training, saying its format would be finalized with allies during the next month.

"We are open to discussing – once we have made the training efforts – whether we should go one step further and donate F-16 fighter jets," the minister added.

Portugal has also agreed to train Ukrainian pilots and mechanics on Western-type combat aircraft, according to Ukraine's Foreign Ministry.

The news comes shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden approved plans to train Ukrainian service personnel on F-16 jets, according to a senior U.S. official, cited by CNN.

On May 17, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte agreed to build an international coalition to help procure F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine. The coalition will be formed already this year, said Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

According to Kuleba, some of Ukraine's allies have expressed their willingness to train Ukrainian soldiers on how to operate Western fighter jets, and other countries are ready to provide the aircraft.

Earlier, the U.K. promised to train Ukrainian pilots on fighter aircraft this summer, and France also "opened the door" for such training.

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Kyiv IndependentKate Tsurkan