Ukrainian pilot training is not expected to take place in the US, but rather exclusively in Europe. However, U.S. personnel will participate in training activities alongside allies and partners in Europe, an administration official said. The training is expected to take several months to complete, and he expressed hope that it would begin “in the coming weeks.”
The decision represents a major reversal for President Biden, who earlier this year expressed doubts about Ukraine’s need for F-16s. According to sources, the decision to support the training initiative was made quickly and was announced after President Biden’s meetings with G7 leaders in Hiroshima, Japan, where the issue of providing F-16s to Ukraine was a key point of discussion.
In recent days, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in particular has been pushing hard for countries that have the machines in their arsenal to send them to Ukraine, which would help the country better defend itself against daily Russian airstrikes.
“As training continues in the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide the fighters, how many to provide and who will provide them,” the official said.
USAF: Ukrainian pilots can be retrained on the F-16 quickly, in as little as four months
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is on his way to the G7 meeting, said on Twitter that he welcomed the “historic decision by the United States and @POTUS to support a coalition of countries willing to provide combat aircraft.”
“This will greatly strengthen our military in the air. I expect to discuss the practical implementation of this decision at the #G7 summit in Hiroshima,” Zelenskyy added.
Source: eurozpravy.cz
