Updated May 17th, 2023 at 17:37 IST

UK, Netherlands form 'coalition' to provide F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as war rages on

"With respect to coalition of jets I see that in closest time you will hear some very important decision but we have to work a little bit more," Zelenskyy said.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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In an effort to provide Ukraine with the long-sought American F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft ahead of the Spring counteroffensive, the UK and Netherlands are jointly working to form an "international coalition" to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelesnkyy's arms need. Both the NATO member states are trying to procure multirole stealth fighter jets for Ukraine's Air Force, according to the readout from UK Presidential Office, 10 Downing Street. The decision was made by UK's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte at the Council of Europe Summit which is being held in Reykjavík between May 16 and 17 in Iceland. 

The UK government also announced training for the Ukrainian pilots on how to fly the advanced warplanes. “This summer we will commence an elementary flying phase for cohorts of Ukrainian pilots to learn basic training,” the statement from Downing Street read. “This will adapt the program used by UK pilots to provide Ukrainians with piloting skills they can apply to different kinds of aircraft. This training goes hand in hand with UK efforts to work with other countries on providing F-16 jets — Ukraine’s fighter jets of choice.”

The UK pledged to provide the Ukrainian military with new long-range attack drones with a range of over 200km [124 miles], Storm Shadow missiles, AIM-120 AMRAAMs that boost the speed of Mach 4 for use in the NASAMS—the medium-range ground-based air defence system. The idea of a "coalition of jets" isn't new and previously Poland, Denmark, and the Netherlands had suggested the framework to expedite the fighter jets to Kyiv from more willing allies. Russia, in turn, this week threatened that sending such long-range weapons would trigger "adequate response from our [Russian] military".

US-made F16 fighter jet takes off from an air base in Campia Turzii, Romania. Credit: AP

'We need F-16s, and I am grateful to our allies': Head of office of President Zelenskyy

Ukraine has been requesting fighter jets from the United States, which has about 800 F-16s in its fleet to match Russia's superior air power. While the UK does not have the fourth generation American manufactured warplanes, its European allies Netherlands and Belgium do. In a push for procuring the advanced combat-proven F-16, a spokesperson of the Ukraine Air Force had promised that Ukraine's pilots will need about six months to master flying the jets. 

“Our pilots can learn how to fly those planes in a few weeks. It will take about six months for them to master how to fight the F-16,” Ukrainian air force spokesman Ihnat noted. But US President Joe Biden has ruled out the prospect saying that Ukraine does not need the multirole stealth F-16 "yet", insisting that he has held a discussion with the Department of Defense, Pentagon, and the Department of State. 

“We need F-16s, and I am grateful to our allies for their decision to work in this direction, including training our pilots,”  Andriy Yermak, head of the office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday said, after UK reached the decision. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's aide Yermak further stated that Belgium, another NATO ally, “confirmed its readiness to train” Ukrainian pilots along with the UK. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, meanwhile, announced that his government will soon train Ukrainian pilots to effectively operate the Western-made fighter jets. Sunak, however, added that providing Ukraine with warplanes is “not a straightforward thing." While in the UK during his European tour, President Zelenskyy indicated that Kyiv may be closer to receiving F-16s. He noted that London and Kyiv were “actively moving forward” to execute a workable plan, as he thanked Sunak for training the pilots. Zelenskyy hinted that he is forming a “coalition of jets” for the Ukrainian Air Force during an official announcement at Sunak's country residence at Chequers in England. 

"With respect to a coalition of jets, I see that in the closest time, you will hear some, I think, very important decisions but we have to work a little bit more on it,” Zelenskyy stressed after meeting with UK Premier. 

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Published May 17th, 2023 at 17:37 IST