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Washington approves sending F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and Netherlands

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Washington approves sending F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and Netherlands
Portuguese Air Force F-16 fighter jets during NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission in Lithuanian airspace near Siauliai on May 23, 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)

The United States has given the green light to Denmark and the Netherlands for sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to defend against Russian aggression as soon as pilot training is completed, a U.S. official said on Aug. 17, according to Reuters.

Ukraine has actively sought the U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to help counter Russian air superiority.

The primary nations at the helm of the training coalition, Denmark and the Netherlands, have been asking Washington about official assurances. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent letters to his Danish and Dutch counterparts assuring them that the requests would be approved, the official said.

In a letter obtained by Reuters, Blinken said the U.S. backs both -  the transfer of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and the comprehensive training of Ukrainian pilots under the guidance of F-16 instructors.

A coalition of 11 nations will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s in August in Denmark, and a training centre will be set up in Romania.

Kuleba: F-16 fighter jets may arrive as soon as pilots complete training
Ukraine could receive F-16 fighter jets around the same time when Ukrainian pilots complete their training on the aircraft, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said, Interfax-Ukraine reported on Aug. 17.
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Olena Goncharova

Head of North America desk

Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.

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