Oslo: The Norwegian government has decided to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Norwegian broadcaster TV2 reported on Thursday, citing sources.
The broadcaster said that several separate sources confirmed the decision by the Norwegian government. Norway would reportedly be the third NATO country after the Netherlands and Denmark to provide the jets to Ukraine.
Last week, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed that Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a letter to his European counterparts in Denmark and the Netherlands with the formal approval of a third-party transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. He added that the transfer of jets would follow the completion of Ukrainian pilots’ training.
On Monday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that Denmark would send 19 F-16s to Kiev, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Netherlands had pledged to supply another 42. During a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens, Zelenskyy also said that Greece had offered to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets.
