Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen sit in a F-16 fighter jet at Skrydstrup Airbase in Vojens, Denmark, 20 August 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN
The Trump administration has signed off on a potential contract with Ukraine for the provision of a package of services relating to F-16 fighter jets, Reuters reported on Saturday.
The deal, valued at $310.5 million, would include training pilots and technical personnel, supplying spare parts and software and providing engineering, technical and logistical services, Reuters said.
The presidential administration notified Congress of its plans to sell defence products to Ukraine worth more than $50 million on Thursday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kyiv would be willing in the future to spend $30 billion to $50 billion on additional assistance, including air defence systems, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Ukraine ultimately expects to receive 120-130 of the fourth-generation fighter aircraft from its partners in total, having received the first such aircraft in July. A pause in US military aid had caused problems with maintenance and electronic warfare systems, but aid deliveries resumed in March after Zelensky mended fences with US President Donald Trump following a disastrous Oval Office meeting the month before.
“The proposed sale will improve Ukraine’s capability to meet current and future threats by ensuring its pilots are effectively trained and by increasing its interoperability with the United States through comprehensive training with the US Air Force,” the Defence Security Cooperation Agency, part of the Department of Defence, said in a comment.
