US approves sending Ukraine F-16s from the Netherlands and Denmark

A U.S. official announced earlier this week that the U.S. approved sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands. 

"We welcome Washington's decision to pave the way for sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine," Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Now, we will further discuss the subject with our European partners."

The jets will be used to defend Ukraine against Russian invaders, soon after pilot training takes place, a U.S. official said, according to Reuters. 

The Danish defense ministry announced on Friday that a coalition of 11 countries would start training Ukrainian pilots later this month.

"The government has said several times that a donation is a natural next step after training. We are discussing it with close allies, and I expect we will soon be able to be more concrete about that," Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen told news agency Ritzau.

"It remains critical that Ukraine is able to defend itself against ongoing Russian aggression and violation of its sovereignty," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.