Denmark on delay of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine: Merely a technical reason
The F-16 fighter jets Denmark is to provide will appear in the Ukrainian sky by the summer of 2024, as stated by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Lviv.
She said that the only reason Denmark is delaying the transfer of the jets is "simply a technical reason, a technical matter."
"Because a significant infrastructure is needed to service these fighters, and training for the F-16 takes much longer and is more extensive than for any other weapons systems," she stated.
Frederiksen said that the country is very pleased that "Denmark is going to provide these fighters in cooperation with the Netherlands, Belgium, and the USA."
"This is a very powerful weapon. I hope that we will be able to see the F-16 in the Ukrainian airspace soon, even before the summer," she said.
Frederiksen also stated that the training of Ukrainian pilots started back in August and is progressing "very well and quickly."
On February 22, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated that determining a precise schedule for the delivery of the F-16s is challenging, but they are expected to arrive in the summer.
Read also: UK to provide Ukraine with 200 Brimstone missiles and train 10,000 military personnel — Shapps