The Czech Republic is ready to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 and L-39 fighter jets.
This was reported by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala at a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"We are ready to deepen our contribution to the training of the Ukrainian military. We have agreed that together with partners from the ʼCoalition of Willingʼ we will train Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 and L-39. The training will take place here, at bases in the Czech Republic. Ukraine is already training fighter pilots on Czech models that are supplied to Ukraine," he noted.
A few days earlier, on May 4, Zelensky spoke about the creation of a Ukrainian-Czech F-16 school in the Czech Republic.
"It is obvious that as of now, for security reasons, we cannot open such a base in Ukraine, Russian strikes continue every day. Therefore, we are working with partners so that such schools can open outside Ukraine, and this will happen," Zelensky said.
F-16 for Ukraine
In 2023, Ukraine and its allies created an aviation coalition aimed at transferring F-16 combat aircraft to Ukraine. The first batch of F-16s to Ukraine was delivered by the Netherlands, as reported in October 2024. The second batch of aircraft arrived in Ukraine in December 2024, sent by Denmark.
In total, four allied states agreed to transfer F-16s to Kyiv: the Netherlands (24 aircraft), Denmark (19 aircraft), Belgium (30 aircraft by 2028), and Norway (6 aircraft).
On May 2, 2025, the US State Department approved an F-16 training and support package for Ukraine worth $310.5 million.
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