US has enough funds for now to continue training Ukrainian pilots on F-16, National Guard chief says
Source: AP
Updated 4:34 PM EST, February 8, 2024
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Guard still has enough money on hand to complete the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets despite the U.S. running out of funds to send additional weapons and assistance to Kyiv, the head of the Guard Gen. Dan Hokanson said Thursday.
President Joe Biden announced in August that the U.S. would begin training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16, as part of a multi-national effort to provide Ukraine the advanced fighter jets. Pilot training began in October at Morris Air National Guard base in Tucson, Ariz.
Since then, the Ukraine war fund that the U.S. has used to send billions of dollars in other weapons systems and assistance to Ukraine has run out of money, and Congress has struggled to pass new aid.
The lack of funding has meant the U.S. has not been able to send any new weapons packages to Ukraine despite a brutal bombardment campaign by Russia. But the pilot training has been able to continue, Hokanson said.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-f16-pilot-training-russia-5ba9a0842ec02e02b2d0b86ef85247a5
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