WASHINGTON. May 25 (Interfax) - United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has thanked Denmark and the Netherlands for their decision to head up a European coalition that will train the Ukrainian military to pilot F-16 fighter aircraft, and expressed the hope that other countries will join the initiative.
"I especially want to thank Denmark and the Netherlands, which have decided to lead a European coalition in providing F-16 training for Ukrainian forces," Austin told a press conference in Washington.
Over the next few weeks, the Dutch and Danish defense ministers will work together with the U.S. and other allies to draw up a pilot training plan, he said.
Norway, Belgium, Portugal and Poland have already offered to assist with the training, Austin said.
"We expect more countries to join this important initiative soon," he said.
On Wednesday, Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said F-16 training and any potential delivery of the aircraft were meant to meet Ukraine's medium- and long-term needs, rather than for use in the short term.
On May 21, U.S. President Joe Biden said F-16 deliveries should not be expected any time soon, suggesting that Kiev did not need the jet fighters for military operations that were currently planned. Biden also said that he had received assurances from Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelensky that, should it receive F-16s, Ukraine would not use them against Russian territory.
On May 23, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that deliveries of warplanes to Ukraine could not drastically change the situation on the frontlines, but were evidence that Western countries were becoming increasingly involved in the conflict.