US permission to send a ‘very welcome signal’ to the F-16s

The United States has agreed to deliver Dutch and Danish F-16s to Ukraine once training of Ukrainian pilots on the aircraft is completed. According to a US government official, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken notified the two countries by letter.

The Americans gave the Netherlands and Denmark assurances that the US would grant all necessary clearances to fly the planes to Ukraine once the pilots had been trained.

Both countries, which are at the forefront of training Ukrainian pilots, have asked for these guarantees.

It could be another year before the F-16s are actually flown. This month, a coalition of 11 NATO countries will start training Ukrainian pilots in Denmark. It is expected that the first Ukrainian pilots will have completed their training in the summer of next year.

Outgoing Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he welcomed Washington’s decision. “We will discuss this issue further with our European partners,” Hoekstra wrote. (Reuters/ANP)