While the decision merely opens the door for the eventual transfer of the highly prized fighter jets, it’s a huge step forward for Ukraine.
“Nice,” posted Ukraine’s Air Force on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Blinken gave his approval for the transfer of the fighter jets in a letter to Dutch and Danish leaders.
It comes after the Biden administration has rebuffed Kyiv’s requests for the warplanes since early 2022, arguing they have not been needed in the current phase of the war.
Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Wopke Hoekstra on Friday thanked Blinken “for the good and swift cooperation” on the approval of the jets.
“This marks a major milestone for Ukraine to defend its people and its country,” Hoekstra wrote on X.
When exactly the F-16s head toward the battlefield skies is unclear, but it’s expected the aircraft will arrive in a few months at a minimum.
Ukrainian pilots must complete a training program beginning this month with 11 European allies.
Ukraine operates aging, Soviet-era aircraft, such as the MiG-29s, and is outgunned by Russia in the skies.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday said the Dutch and Danish approval “formalized” the process to eventually approve more third-party F-16 transfers.
“We underlined, underscored, and put an exclamation point on that this week,” Sullivan told reporters.
The U.S. is working closely with European nations on the training program, Sullivan added.
“Our trainers are working with their trainers,” he said. “So, there is a full integration of the effort at this point.”
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
