WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2023) European countries have not yet received US approval for training Ukrainian pilots on American F-16 fighter jets, Politico reports citing US and European officials.
European officials had hoped to start the training in August, but instruction on F-16 fighter jets cannot start until the US State Department formally approves it.
Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Garron Garn told Politico on Friday that the formal request "is still being reviewed."
Earlier this week, a coalition of 11 European countries, including Denmark and the Netherlands, formally agreed at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter aircraft.
Politico said that the training program was expected to be launched in Denmark and Romania.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's top aide has said Kiev hoped to receive the first supply of F-16 fighter jets from Western countries by the end of 2023. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in June that the alliance would begin the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets this summer.
The Pentagon's Joint Staff Director for Operations Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims II said on Thursday that the conditions on the battlefield in Ukraine were not "ideal" for using F-16 fighter jets at present given that Russia continues to possess air defense capabilities.
