NATO Chief Notes 'Dilemma' in Supplying F-16s to Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that it's unclear when Ukraine will receive its long-awaited F-16 fighter jets, saying that Western allies are working hard to get Kyiv's pilots up-to-speed on the modern aircraft.

"It's impossible to say exactly when because it's a dilemma," Stoltenberg told Radio Liberty. "We all want the F-16s to be there as soon as possible."

"At the same time, of course, the effect of the F-16 will be stronger and better with more trained pilots," he continued. "And not only pilots, but also maintenance, personnel and all the support systems that must be in place."

A coalition of NATO members has been leading Ukraine's F-16 training programs, which are taking place in the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Romania. Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said in January that pilots in the program were "already flying in the sky with instructors," and Kyiv's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said that the fighter jets should be ready for battle against Russia's invasion later this year.

Stoltenberg told Raido Liberty, however, that the NATO alliance has "to listen to military experts as to exactly when we will be ready or when allies will be ready to start sending and delivering F-16s."

"At the same time, it should be an effective weapon with well-trained pilots, with good service systems available at the moment when we provide this mechanism to Ukraine," the NATO secretary general added.

Newsweek reached out to NATO's press office for further comment via email on Tuesday.

Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have all pledged to provide F-16s to Ukraine's Armed Forces, and several other allies support efforts to train pilots. One Ukrainian pilot, who goes by the call sign Phantom, told Voice of America this month that he was "very impressed" by the aircraft and that preparations to take the fighter jets into battle were in "full swing as planned."

"This plane simply exceeded their expectations," Phantom said. "Even with the amount of information they have received during training, they already see great prospects and great potential for how this aircraft will help our Air Force to increase our combat aviation capabilities."

Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, has previously dismissed claims that the F-16 will have much impact on the war in Ukraine. Kyiv's forces took a hit this weekend after troops were forced to retreat from Avdiivka after months of brutal fighting for control of the eastern Ukrainian city.