London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, May 25, 2025

EU welcomes F-16 jet decision for Ukraine; pilots already being trained

EU welcomes F-16 jet decision for Ukraine; pilots already being trained

The European Union’s foreign policy chief said Tuesday that the US green light to allow Ukrainian pilots to get training to fly F-16s has created an inexorable momentum that will inevitably bring the fighter jets to the Ukrainian battlefield.
“You know, it’s always the same thing: we discuss, at the beginning everybody is reluctant,” said Josep Borrell, giving the example of the long debate and initial opposition to the dispatch of advanced Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine.

“And at the end — with the Leopards, with the F-16 at the end — the decision comes to provide this military support because it is absolutely needed.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that the training decision was the exact thrust necessary toward making the jets available to Ukraine.

“Announcing clearly that they will start training — this is an important step that partly will enable us to deliver fighter jets at some stage,” Stoltenberg said before meeting with EU defense ministers. He said it also proved that the West wouldn’t stand down in the face of Russia, saying such a decision “is sending a very clear signal that we are there for the long term and that Russia can not wait us out.”

Borrell added that training for Ukrainian pilots had already begun in Poland and some other countries, though authorities in Warsaw couldn’t immediately confirm the news. The Netherlands and Denmark, among others, are also making plans for such training.

No decision on actually delivering fourth-generation fighter jets has been taken yet, but training pilots now — a process that takes several months — will help speed up battle readiness once a formal decision is made.

“We can continue and also finalize the plans that we’re making with Denmark and other allies to start these trainings. And of course, that is the first step that you have to take,” Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said.

“We will continue discussing with our allies and with countries that might have F-16s available about that next step. But that’s not on the table right now,” Ollongren said.

Ukraine has long begged for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge as it battles Russia’s invasion, now in its second year. And this new plan opens the door for several nations to supply the aircraft and for the US to help train the pilots.

With the decision, the Biden administration has made a sharp reversal after refusing to approve any transfer of the aircraft or conduct training for more than a year because of worries that it could escalate tensions with Russia. US officials also have argued against the F-16 by saying that learning to fly and logistically support such an advanced aircraft would be difficult and take months.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Global Events: Key Developments in Culture, Conflict, and Policy
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Any trade deal with US must be based on respect not threats', says EU commissioner
UK Leads in Remote Work Adoption, Averaging 1.8 Days a Week
Bruges Battles Overtourism as Visitors Steal Cobblestones and Historic Cities Struggle to Cope
Facial Recognition Technology Use in New Orleans Jail Escapees Search Under Scrutiny
Crypto Investor Arrested for Alleged Kidnapping and Torture in Manhattan
Labour MPs Divided Over £5 Billion Welfare Cuts
UK Signs £101 Million Annual Deal on Chagos Islands
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Welfare Cuts
Reform UK Gains Control of Lancashire Council
UK Government Introduces Measures to Accelerate Housebuilding
Government Delays Child Poverty Strategy Publication
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Carrie Johnson Announces Birth of Fourth Child
Russian Drone and Missile Strikes Kill 13 in Ukraine
Various Developments in UK Sports, Health, and Security
Netanyahu Accuses Western Leaders of 'Emboldening Hamas'
Multiple Injuries Reported Following Stabbing Attack in Germany
Escalating Trade Tensions and Market Reactions
Major Global Events: Ukraine-Russia Prisoner Exchange, Nuclear Talks, and Other Developments
US President Threatens Apple with 25% Tariff on iPhones Not Made in America
Escaped Psychiatric Patient Sentenced for Killing Church Warden with Golf Umbrella
Police Scotland 'At Breaking Point' Amid Soaring Mental Health Absences
Asylum Seeker Jailed for Spreading Islamic State Propaganda Online
Billy Joel Cancels All Upcoming Concerts Due to Brain Disorder
British Taxpayers Face £31 Billion Loss from 2008 RBS Bailout
Tottenham Hotspur Clinch European Title Amid Manager's Defiant Message
Starmer's Winter Fuel Cut U-Turn Claim Deemed 'Not Credible'
Keir Starmer's NHS Boast Faces Scrutiny Over Comparisons During Strike Periods
UK Scientists Launch Urgent Study to Save Declining Bee Populations
Gary Neville Banned from Nottingham Forest's Stadium for Premier League Finale
Greenland Awards Mining Rights to Danish-French Consortium
Majority of Germans Want to Leave the Country, Poll Finds
Stabbing Attack in Germany Leaves Multiple Injured
OnlyFans Reportedly in Talks for $8 Billion Sale
Booz Allen Hamilton to Cut 2,500 Jobs Amid Federal Spending Reductions
JBS Gains Shareholder Approval for U.S. Stock Listing
Trump Signs Executive Orders to Accelerate Nuclear Energy Development
Harvard Temporarily Blocks Trump Administration's International Student Ban
Nippon Steel Forms Partnership with U.S. Steel, Headquarters to Remain in Pittsburgh
Trump Expands Tariff Threats to Apple and Samsung Devices
Oracle and OpenAI Plan $40 Billion Nvidia Chip Purchase for AI Data Center
Trump Threatens 50% Tariff on EU Goods, Markets React
Americans Seek British Citizenship in Record Numbers Post-Trump Re-election
The Daily Debate: The Fall of the Dollar — Strategic Reset or Economic Self-Destruction?
UK Justice Secretary Advocates for Good Conduct Release Policies to Alleviate Prison Overcrowding
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
UK Transfers Chagos Islands Sovereignty to Mauritius in Strategic Agreement
×