Ukraineʼs allies and partners announced plans to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation aircraft, including the F-16, at Ramstein. The appropriate training infrastructure will be developed in the coming weeks.
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said that Denmark and the Netherlands will be the first countries to begin training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets, other countries will join later.
According to him, in the coming weeks, partners from Denmark and the Netherlands will cooperate with other partners, namely Norway, Poland, Belgium, and Portugal, which agreed to join.
"We expect others to join this important mission. Now, the start of this pilot training is an important example of commitment to support Ukraine. Training infrastructure will be developed in the coming weeks," the US Defense Minister added.
According to the Pentagon, training of Ukrainian F-16 pilots will take place in Europe.
Ukraine will receive F-16 fighter jets from its allies on the condition that the aircraft, like other Western weapons, will not be used for strikes on Russian territory, the White House announced on May 20.
- The "Ramstein" format was established in the spring of 2022 — on April 26, the first meeting of the advisory group on providing assistance to Ukraine took place at the US Air Force base "Ramstein" in Germany.