A coalition of Western countries is considering Romania as a possible place for training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
This was reported by Politico, citing three people familiar with the plans.
"Romania is one of the locations that the coalition is considering for the exercises," a Western official said.
European officials have neither confirmed nor denied that a proposal to train Ukrainian pilots in Romania is being discussed. A Dutch Defense Ministry official said only that the partners were working to establish an F-16 training center in Eastern Europe. It is not yet known which countries will provide aircraft for the exercises.
The Romanian Ministry of Defense said in a comment to Politico: "We confirm that Romania is working closely with its NATO allies, EU partners, its strategic partners and the leadership of Ukraine to ensure the ability of the Ukrainian people to effectively resist the illegal Russian aggression and occupation of the sovereign territory of Ukraine."
According to current and former Pentagon officials, the group is working on a contract to conduct training flights at a test site in Romania. They added that it is possible that Lockheed Martin, which builds the F-16 fighter jets, will conduct the training.
A Lockheed representative said in a comment to Politico that the company is ready to train Ukrainian pilots to fly and maintain the F-16 as soon as Western countries agree to send them.
- The educational coalition includes Denmark, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, Portugal, Norway and Belgium. Ukrainian pilots will first undergo basic training and a language course under the supervision of Britain, then they will begin training on airplanes. Training is expected to begin in the summer. Ukraine will be able to receive the first planes in 6-7 months after that.