U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has sent letters to Denmark and Norway assuring that the Biden government would expedite approvals for all transfers of F-16s to Ukraine. In the letters Blinken said that the F-16s would transfered once Ukrainian pilots have completed the Danish and Norwegian lead training program:
I am writing to express the United States’ full support for both the transfer of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine and for the training of Ukrainian pilots by qualified F-16 instructors…. It remains critical that Ukraine is able to defend itself against ongoing Russian aggression and violation of its sovereignty.
The letters from Secretary Blinken mark the first time the Biden regime has given a hard commitment to supplying the Ukrainian military with F-16s. This past May, President Joe Biden endorsed the Danish and Norwegian training program but stopped short of setting a timetable for transfers of the advanced American fighter jet.
Recent reports have indicated that the Ukrainian military is becoming overly reliant on captured and retrofitted Russian vehicles and that the stalled counter-offensive has lead to low moral among Ukrainian soldiers. During a panel debate in Arendal, Norway this past week, NATO Chief of Staff Stian Jenssen suggested that Ukraine may have to surrender some of its territory to Russia in order to obtain a peace settlement: “I’m not saying it has to be like this. But that could be a possible solution.”
