Denmark and the Netherlands have confirmed that they have received permission from the United States to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, reported Yevropeyska Pravda.
According to Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Denmark received a "friendly response" to its request.
"I can confirm that there has been an exchange of letters between me and Anthony Blinken, based on the fact that the Minister of Defence and I have asked the United States to investigate our options," he said in a commentary to TV 2.
Rasmussen added that the timing of the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine has not yet been determined.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra called the US approval to provide Ukraine with F-16s an "important event" for Ukraine.
We welcome Washington's decision to pave the way for sending #F16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine. Many thanks to @SecBlinken for the good and swift cooperation. Now, we will further discuss the subject with our European partners. 🇺🇸🇳🇱🇺🇦 1/2
— Wopke Hoekstra (@WBHoekstra) August 17, 2023
"We welcome Washington's decision to pave the way for sending F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine. Many thanks to Anthony Blinken for the good and swift cooperation," he wrote on social network X (formerly Twitter).
Hoekstra noted that now the issue of F-16s for Ukraine will continue to be discussed with European partners.
Reuters stated that the United States had approved the provision of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands immediately after the training of Ukrainian pilots.