The delivery of 6 fighter jets, originally planned for the New Year, has now been delayed by 6 months, the Danish newspaper Berlingske reports.
Denmark's transfer of F-16 military fighters to Ukraine will be delayed for six months, reports the Danish newspaper Berlingske with reference to the country's Ministry of Defense.
Kyiv has long argued that it needs the fighter jets to make significant military progress against Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium announced their readiness to provide Kyiv with American-made F-16 fighters.
"The selection (of pilots - ed.) is ongoing, training is about to begin, and around the New Year, the first group of planes, I hope, will fly from Denmark to Ukraine - about six. I hope that eight more planes will be sent to Ukraine next year, and five after a year," said the Danish Prime Minister in August of last year.
However, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in October that the first planes would be delivered by April 2024.
Denmark was one of the first countries to promise to supply Kiev with American-made fighter jets, and is one of the largest donors to Ukraine's military defense.
Ukrainian pilots will begin training on two F-16 fighter jets donated by Norway in Denmark, the Norwegian government announced this week.
