The United States has pledged to approve the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as soon as training is complete, according to a US official.
The plan is to make sure Ukraine has the fighter jet it has long sought by the time its pilots complete training on F-16s. Initially, the training program was expected to start this month, but it is now unclear exactly when it will begin or how long it is expected to take.
Denmark and the Netherlands have taken the lead in preparing a program to train Ukrainian pilots on the US aircraft, but the US is still working with other countries to see who can supply F-16s to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent letters to his counterparts in Denmark and the Netherlands assuring them that the transfer of the planes would have the “full support” of the Joe Biden government and would move quickly when training on the advanced aircraft was completed. .
“I assure you that we will expedite the approval of required third-party transfer requests in time to allow for delivery when training is complete, including the required notification to our Congress,” Blinken wrote in the letters.
Reuters first reported that the United States approved the transfer of the planes.
A one-page training concept from the Danish Ministry of Defense laid out a six-month plan to prepare pilots and ground crews to operate the fighter jet.
But the US has yet to receive a formal training plan to familiarize and prepare Ukrainian pilots for the fourth-generation fighter jet. Although several other countries fly the F-16, the US must approve the transfer of training materials, simulators and manuals for the plane because it is a US aircraft that carries sensitive technology.
“We want to get them there as soon as possible,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday. “The other thing to watch out for here is the training piece. You have to make sure you have enough pilots, that they have the proper command of English, and then train them.”
“We think that training will be able to start here relatively soon,” Kirby added.
Even so, Ukraine said Wednesday that it did not expect to receive F-16s until next year.
“It has already become clear that we will not be able to defend Ukraine with F-16s this fall and winter,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said during an appearance on Ukrainian state television on Wednesday.
4 hours ago
New video taken from a drone shows intense fighting in Ukraine
By CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh
Drone video captures intense fighting in Ukraine 3:54
6 hours ago
A Moscow court detains an American citizen of Russian origin accused of espionage, according to state media
By Radina Gigova, Josh Pennington, Jennifer Hansler
A Moscow court has charged a Russian-born US citizen with espionage, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Thursday, citing the court’s press service.
The individual, Gene Spector, is currently serving a prison sentence on bribery charges, according to TASS.
CNN has contacted the US State Department for comment.
Arrested in Russia: Spector is the latest American to be detained by Russia during Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich was detained by Russian authorities in March, marking the first arrest of an American journalist in Russia on espionage charges since the Cold War.
Gerskovich’s arrest unnerved White House officials and further strained wartime relations between Moscow and Washington.
Other high-level arrests – such as that of American basketball star Brittney Griner, who was released from prison in December, and former Marine Paul Whelan – have raised concerns that Americans could be used as pawns in geopolitics. broader that surrounds the war.
CNN’s Anna Chernova, Sophie Tanno and Jo Shelley contributed to this article.
6 hours ago
The head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and US General Mark Milley discuss military aid and conditions on the front lines
By Yulia Kesaieva, Radina Gigova
Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and his US counterpart, General Mark Milley, discussed the situation on the front line during a phone call on Thursday, Zaluzhnyi said in a Facebook post.
Both spoke of “short, medium and longer term plans,” Zaluzhnyi said. He also mentioned that he discussed “actions” of the Russian forces in the Ukraine, without going into
