Kyiv Edges Closer To Acquiring Advanced Fighter Planes

Natasha Bertrand at CNN has reported that, "President Joe Biden informed G7 leaders on Friday that the US will support a joint effort with allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s."

• Bertrand quotes a US official: "As the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them."
• A number of countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, and Denmark, operate F-16s and have indicated a willingness to procure planes for Kyiv and train their pilots.
• Any such move, as was the case with German-made Leopard tanks, would require a re-export license from Washington due to sensitive US technology.
• A bipartisan group of US lawmakers wrote in a letter to Biden on Wednesday: “...we view the transfer of F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine as essential..."
• The issue will likely be debated further at the NATO Summit in Lithuania in July.