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US State Department: Giving Ukraine F-16 jets remains 'priority'

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Training Ukrainian pilots to use F-16s and working with allies to provide Ukraine with advanced fighter jets remains a "priority" for the U.S. in the coming months, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing on May 22.

"The president has made very clear that we will begin training the Ukrainian military to pilot F-16s and we will work with our allies and partners on the provision of F-16s to Ukraine," Miller said.  

Miller added that, while there were no new announcements as to exactly when or how that would happen, it was a "priority" for the U.S. and would begin to be implemented "in the coming months."

The U.K. and the Netherlands agreed on May 17 to build a "fighter jet coalition" for Ukraine. On May 20, the U.S. also declared that it would join the initiative, as did Portugal and Denmark.

So far, Ukraine has received 14 Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland and 13 from Slovakia.

However, Ukraine has shown the most interest in the U.S.-built F-16, which has been in service since the 1970s and operated by over 20 nations.

Critics argue that allies' reluctance to supply Western fighter jets and long-range missiles to Ukraine may prolong Russia’s war of aggression and result in thousands of deaths.

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The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

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