A senior administration official tells CNN that President Joe Biden informed the G7 leaders on Friday that the United States will help efforts to educate Ukrainian pilots on cutting-edge aircraft, including F-16s.
The official predicted that the collaborative training effort will take place solely in Europe and not in the US. However, the official stated that US forces will take part in the training with allies and partners. The completion period is anticipated to be several months.
“As the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them,” the official said.
The source reaffirmed a US talking point regarding military support for Ukraine, stating that it has thus far mostly been focused on giving Kyiv the tools, gear, and training it needs right away to combat its anticipated counteroffensive.
The official stated, "Discussions regarding enhancing the Ukrainian Air Force reflect our long-term commitment to Ukraine's self-defense.
In recent months, top Ukrainian authorities have intensified their public advocacy for US-made F-16s, claiming that they are urgently required to fight against Russian missile and drone assaults.
According to individuals involved with the conversations, the Biden administration has recently notified European partners that it will permit them to ship F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine even though it is still hesitant to send any of its own F-16s there.
Two Ukrainian pilots were hosted by the US in March at a military base in Tucson, Arizona, to examine their abilities in flight simulators and determine how long it would take them to train to operate different US military aircraft, including F-16s. In the budget for 2023, Congress allocated funds for this type of training.
In a statement earlier this week, a representative for British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the UK and the Netherlands were considering forming a "international coalition" to help Ukraine acquire fourth-generation fighters, which are more advanced than the Ukrainian fleet, as well as train Ukrainian pilots to fly them.
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