The United States has agreed to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, NBC writes , citing administration official Joe Biden. The planes will not necessarily come directly from the US, he said. Perhaps we will talk about re-exports from other countries cooperating with the United States.
It is unclear when Ukraine will receive the F-16. An NBC source claims that the fighter jets will not be used in the upcoming Ukrainian counteroffensive. The US and its allies should agree on the timing and quantities of deliveries in the coming months.
The news that the United States will provide long-awaited fighter jets to Ukraine came after Biden announced his agreement to train Ukrainian pilots to fly them. The training will take place outside of Ukraine in one of the European countries, it will take several months. White House officials hope to begin the learning process in the coming weeks.
Ukrainian authorities say they need about 180 fighter jets to counter Russia in the air, but 24-36 are sufficient at this stage. Several countries have already agreed to provide Ukraine with their F-16s: Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway. Previously, the transfer process was hampered only by the lack of permission from the United States.