Oslo: According to Norwegian Defence Minister Bjoern Arild Gramme, Norway will support training programmes for Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets. On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave US President Joe Biden his support for training programmes for Ukrainian pilots using F-16 fighter jets and guaranteed him that the aircraft would not be used to enter Russian airspace.
The government supports this effort and is thinking about how Norway can contribute alongside allies and partners, according to Gramme.The minister separately informed public broadcaster NRK that the Norwegian government has not decided whether Norway will provide any of its F-16 jets to Ukraine.
Any transfer of the US-made F-16s to Ukraine, according to Russia, whose forces invaded the country 15 months ago, would be pointless and raise concerns about NATO's intentions In War.
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Borrell added that training for Ukrainian pilots had already started in Poland and other nations, though Warsaw authorities were unable to confirm the information right away. Plans for this kind of training are also being made in countries like the Netherlands and Denmark.
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Fourth-generation fighter jet delivery has not yet been officially decided, but training pilots now, a process that takes several months, will hasten battle readiness once a formal decision has been made.
"We can continue and complete the preparations we're making with allies like Denmark to begin these trainings. The first step is obviously to take that, according to Dutch Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren.