Stoltenberg says partners are closer to providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets

This is reported by the Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen with reference to Stoltenberg's statement.

When asked whether there are any restrictions on the type of weapons that NATO countries will supply to Ukraine, the NATO Secretary General replied: "Of course, we always have to think about what kind of weapons we provide. We have seen the evolution of the type of weapons needed as the war has evolved."

Stoltenberg emphasised that it is reasonable to provide Ukraine with modern fighter jets.

"It is quite possible. We have agreed to start training pilots. But this is a separate decision that is required before we can supply modern fighter jets. We are one step closer to providing this type of weapon, but later," the Secretary General said.

What is known about F-16 fighters for Ukraine

On 21 May, US President Joe Biden approved the training of Ukrainians on F-16s. Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured that Ukraine would not use these aircraft to strike at Russian territory. Also, Defence Ministry adviser Yuriy Sak said that Ukraine hopes to receive the first modern US F-16 fighters in autumn 2023.

In July, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the first F-16s were likely to be flying in Ukraine's skies by the end of March 2024.

On 16 July, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the US would not postpone training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s, and Biden allowed European countries to start training.

On 22 July, Sullivan also said that Ukrainian pilots would start training on F-16s in the next few weeks.

On 11 August, it was reported that the first group of Ukrainian pilots would complete training on F-16s no earlier than next summer. The start of combat training will be preceded by 4-month language courses.

Subsequently, Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi met with the Chief of the General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces in Ukraine. Among the topics discussed was pilot training on F-16 fighter jets.

On 12 August, the White House stated that the United States could join the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s on its territory if "training capacity in Europe is achieved".

Later, Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, told Espresso that work on the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine is underway every day: the negotiation process is complex - all countries that are part of the "air coalition" make a collective decision.

And Romanian President Klaus Iohannis confirmed that Romania would train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s: a regional training centre would be opened there.

On 17 August, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said that Ukraine would not be able to receive F-16s from its Western partners in the coming autumn or winter, so it would need to strengthen its air defence.