In a tweet, Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed what he described as a historic decision by the US to approve the delivery of modern fighter jets to his country, such as the F-16s requested by Ukraine.

I welcome the historic decision of the United States and @POTUS to support an international fighter jet coalition. This will greatly enhance our army in the sky. I count on discussing the practical implementation of this decision at the #G7 summit in Hiroshima.

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 19, 2023

 According to a White House official, earlier today Biden implied, speaking at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, that he would give the “green light” for the delivery of fighter jets, including US F-16s, to Ukraine from Western countries.

He assured his interlocutors that he supports their joint initiative to train Ukrainian pilots in fourth-generation fighters, according to the same source. The delivery of US aircraft to Ukraine by a third country requires prior approval from Washington.

During the training period, in the coming months, the coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when the aircraft will be delivered, how many there will be, and who will deliver them, the same official added. That wording – his reference to when rather than if – is the strongest indication yet from the US that it is positive about equipping Ukraine with these aircraft.

The training will take place outside Ukraine at facilities in Europe and last for months, the US official continued, saying he hoped to begin within the next few weeks.

British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, welcomed the support offered by the US to the initiative of many countries, including Britain, to train Ukrainian pilots. Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, and the Danish Ministry of Defence also issued similar statements.

Source: CNN Greece

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