THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The United States has given its approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine, officials in Washington and Europe said Friday, in a major gain for Kyiv even though the fighter jets won’t have an impact any time soon on the almost 18-month war.
An administration official and a Defense Department official told NBC News the U.S. “will expedite” approval for the transfer requests. Because F-16 fighter jets are manufactured by the U.S., the U.S. has to grant approval to other countries transferring their F-16s to third countries.
Speaking to reporters at Camp David on Friday, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that President Joe Biden at the G-7 meeting in Hiroshima had promised to back an effort to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 aircraft and the administration is now ready to follow through and give a green light to Denmark and the Netherlands to transfer the fighter jets to Ukraine once Ukrainian pilots are trained.
“President Biden indicated — both to his colleagues, his allies, and to the world — that he would support an effort to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s.
“What we did this week is formalized, through a letter from Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken to his counterparts in Europe, that upon the completion of that training, the United States would be prepared, in consultation with Congress, to approve third-party transfer of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine."
It was not immediately clear when the first F-16s might enter the conflict but Ukrainian pilots will first have to undertake at least six months’ training on the aircraft, according to officials.
Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge. It recently launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.
Even so, Air Force Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters in Washington he didn’t expect the F-16s to be a game-changer for Ukraine. Getting F-16 squadrons ready for battle could take “four or five years,” he said.
But in eastern Ukraine, attack helicopter pilots welcomed the news. They said Russia has a clear advantage in the skies, but the introduction of modern fighter jets could dramatically shift the balance of power Kyiv’s way.
Ukrainian forces supporting infantry are using decades-old Soviet-era models, which are vulnerable to air-to-air missile attacks from Russian fighter jets, Capt. Yevgen Rakita, a spokesman for the 18th Army Aviation Brigade, told The Associated Press.
“A modern war cannot be won without aviation (capabilities),” Rakita said.
U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sent a letter to his Dutch and Danish counterparts earlier this week, offering formal assurance that the U.S. would fast-track approval of all requests from third parties to transfer F-16s to Ukraine.
Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Friday the training of Ukrainian pilots is starting this month.
A coalition of 11 Western countries — the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and the United Kingdom — pledged in July to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s.
Officials have previously said that Ukrainian pilots will need six to eight months of training.
Denmark will hand over some of its F-16s only after receiving its new F-35 jet fighters. The first four F-35s are due to be delivered on Oct. 1.
Ukraine’s Western allies have at times moved slowly on granting Kyiv the military support it has requested.
President Biden’s authorization last May for allies to train Ukrainian forces on how to operate the warplanes, and eventually to provide the aircraft themselves, was preceded by months of debate in Washington and quiet talks with allies, officials said.
The administration had concerns that the move might escalate tensions with Russia. Also, U.S. officials argued that learning to fly and logistically support the advanced F-16 would be difficult. Eventually, the go-ahead came because the F-16s are required for Ukraine’s long-term security needs.
Though delivery is likely months away, Washington says the F-16s — like the advanced U.S. Abrams tanks — will be crucial in the long term as Kyiv faces down Russia.
Ukraine has been relying on older aircraft, such as Russian-made MiG29 and Sukhoi jets. F-16s have newer technology and targeting capabilities. They are also more versatile, experts say.