Danish Defense Minister Trols Lund Poulsen said his country would help train Ukrainian pilots in F-16 fighters after Washington agreed to mobilize a “fighter coalition” to supply Kyiv forces with aircraft.
He said that Copenhagen, which is replacing its F-16 fleet with F-35 fighters, will now be able to “contribute to the training of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 and will make every effort to ensure that this contribution is effective.”
He continued: “Now we will agree additional details with our allies,” welcoming the approval of US President Joe Biden for the supply of these fighters to Kyiv.
The Danish Air Force has about 40 fighters of this type, including about 30 in service, and Copenhagen recently began receiving its first fifth-generation F-35 aircraft.
At the G7 summit in Japan, Biden reaffirmed his support for an initiative to “train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16,” according to a senior White House official.
The UK and the Netherlands were quick to welcome the announcement as they recently expressed their desire to mobilize an international coalition to supply fighter jets to Ukraine.
Source: AFP.
