The US announced today that it has given the green light to Denmark and the Netherlands to send US F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, once Ukrainian pilots have been trained.

A State Department spokesman said Denmark and the Netherlands had received “formal assurances” on the matter.

“Therefore, Ukraine will be able to fully utilize its new capabilities once the first batch of pilots has completed their training. The F-16s will strengthen Ukraine’s defense and deterrence capabilities,” the spokesman added.

The United States has strict rules regarding any resale or transfer of US military equipment by allies.

The date when the Ukrainian pilots will complete their training is not yet known.

This training, by a coalition of 11 countries, is expected to begin this month in Denmark, the country’s Ministry of Defense announced today. Officials say they hope to have the pilots ready by early 2024. Acting Defense Minister Trolls Poulsen said in July that the country hoped to see “results” from the training by early 2024.

Denmark also said that Ukraine’s supply of fighter jets would be discussed soon. “The government has said several times that the (F-16) delivery is a natural next step after training. We are discussing the issue with allies and I believe we will soon become more specific,” Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen told the news agency Ritzau.

“We welcome Washington’s decision to pave the way for sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine,” Dutch Foreign Minister Boepke Hoekstra said on Platform X (formerly Twitter). “Now, we will discuss the matter further with our European partners.”

Dutch Defense Minister Kaisha Holngren welcomed the approval. “This allows us to fulfill the purpose in relation to the training of Ukrainian pilots,” she wrote on the X platform. However, “everything takes its time,” Olhgren emphasized, speaking to the Dutch news agency ANP. It will take several months before the Netherlands can send F-16s, he clarified, according to ANP.

Kiev has been relentlessly asking for these aircraft to support its counter-offensive on the front.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in July that the delivery of F-16 fighter jets would be viewed by Moscow as a “nuclear” threat.