U.S. not delaying F-16 training for Ukrainian fighter pilots - national security adviser

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is not delaying the process of training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said this in an interview with CNN, Ukrinform reports.

"The United States will not be the hold up in ensuring that this F-16 training can get underway," he said.

According to Sullivan, European leaders have said they need several weeks to prepare training abilities and that the U.S. will meet whatever timeline they set out.

"The president has given a green light and we will allow, permit, support, facilitate and, in fact, provide the necessary tools for Ukrainians to begin being trained on F-16s, as soon as the Europeans are prepared," he said.

Politico earlier reported that nearly a dozen European countries that pledged this week to train Ukrainian pilots are still waiting on the U.S. to formally approve the program before instruction on American F-16 fighter jets can begin.