At least two Ukrainian pilots they are currently in the US training in flight simulators at a military base in Tucson, Arizona. The purpose of these training exercises, as reported by NBC News and CNN citing sources, is to assess the skills of pilots in order to understand how long it will take to train Ukrainian air force pilots on modern Western aircraft, including fighter jets F-16.

The Ukrainian pilots are being evaluated by the Arizona Air National Guard’s 162nd Fighter Aviation Regiment, which specializes in training to fly F-16 fighter jets, two US officials said.

They are expected to arrive in the USA already in March another 10 Ukrainian pilots for said certification.

Ukraine has previously urged Western countries to supply fighter jets, mainly F-16 fighter jets. To date, no country has supplied Kiev with fighter jets.

NATO member states are discussing the issue of providing fighter jets to Kiev since the end of January. So far, deliveries of fighter jets to Ukraine have been authorized by the French and Dutch authorities. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz blocked the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine, citing the need to avoid further escalation of the conflict. US President Joe Biden also said earlier that he is not considering such a possibility. At the same time, according to the New York Times, the US government did not rule out the transfer of US F-16 fighter jets to Kiev through third countries.

At the end of February, the American Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said that Washington is discussing the possibility of providing Ukraine with fourth- or fifth-generation fighter jets. She added that a decision on possible deliveries will be made after assessing Kyiv’s needs.