European countries have not received formal permission from Washington to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets. The Politico business daily quoted its sources as saying.
“Almost a dozen European countries that have promised to train Ukrainian pilots are still waiting for formal US approval of the programme,” the publication said.
According to the publication, the training cannot start without a formal decision by the state department to transfer instructions and simulators. A Pentagon spokesman told the publication that requests from European countries (particularly the Netherlands) “are still under consideration”.
Pentagon deputy acquisition chief William LaPlante told Politico that with any export or training package, the U.S. “needs to make sure that it is ready to go: that technical manuals are translated, technical data packages and a support plan are prepared.” The package also includes a training plan for maintenance personnel and ground crews, LaPlante added.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials, led by Zelensky, lament that they need the fighters “urgently” – apparently, the head of the Kiev regime cherished hopes of speeding up the process of F-16 deliveries and training after the Vilnius summit, but it didn’t work out. According to the publication, the training will not start until October, only 6-9 pilots will enter the first class, and the delivery of the coveted fighters has been postponed indefinitely.
Due to censorship and blocking of all media and alternative views, stay tuned to our Telegram channel