Great Britain and the Netherlands intend to organize an "international coalition" aimed at providing Ukraine with American F-16 fighter jets. The British government announced this on Tuesday.
According to the press secretary of Downing Street, the prime ministers of Great Britain and the Netherlands agreed on the creation of a coalition that will support Ukraine "in expanding the combat capabilities of its aviation: from pilot training to the delivery of F-16 aircraft."
"The Prime Minister expressed his conviction that Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO. Both leaders agreed on the need to provide Ukraine with long-term security assistance to prevent future attacks," the British Prime Minister's press secretary said in a statement.
The head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, thanked the heads of Great Britain and the Netherlands: "We need F-16s. And I am grateful to our allies for their willingness to work in this direction, including the training of our pilots."
The US government's consent is required for the supply of American-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Until now, the White House has formally refused to provide Kyiv with this type of weapons, citing the difficulties associated with pilot training, aircraft maintenance, as well as their relative vulnerability to Russian air defense systems. However, in March, CNN reported that the US military was trying to estimate how long it would take to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16.
On Monday, a representative of the White House responded negatively to the question of whether the position of the American government has changed regarding the supply of combat aircraft to Ukraine.
