The USA allows European countries to train Ukrainians on F-16 fighters, said President Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan on the air of CNN.

“The president has given a green light and we will allow, permit, support, facilitate and in fact provide the necessary tools for Ukrainians to begin being trained on F-16s, as soon as the Europeans are prepared,” said Jake Sullivan.

This is quite a sharp turn for President Biden, who said in early 2023 that he did not believe Ukraine needed F-16s.

But in May 2023, Biden informed the G7 leaders that the United States would support joint efforts with allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation aircraft, including the F-16, although at that time it was unclear when exactly this training would begin.

Sullivan said European allies need several weeks to prepare training opportunities, and that the US will agree to any deadline they set. That is, now it may be August 2023.

At present, the following countries have joined the “fighter coalition”, who are ready to start training Ukrainian military pilots: Great Britain, Poland, Romania, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal and Sweden.

Training will be provided not only for fighter pilots, but also technicians, gunsmiths and other personnel who service aircraft.

Screenshots from Digital Combat Simulator are illustrative.