The U.S. has signed off on F-16 fighter jets being sent to Ukraine from the Netherlands and Denmark once pilot training has been completed, according to a report. An unnamed U.S. official told Reuters that the move had been approved to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia. A group of 11 countries was due to begin training Ukrainian pilots on the aircraft this month in Denmark, with the Danish acting Defense Minister Troels Poulsen saying last month that his country hoped to see “results” from the training in early 2024. “I am writing to express the United States’ full support for both the transfer of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and for the training of Ukrainian pilots by qualified F-16 instructors,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote in letters to his Danish and Dutch counterparts, according to Reuters, adding that it “remains critical that Ukraine is able to defend itself against ongoing Russian aggression and violation of its sovereignty.”
