Romanian President Klaus Iohannis approved training dozens of Ukrainian soldiers in Romania. The training will involve flying F-16 aircraft at the military base in Fetești.
Romania allowed the training of Ukrainian pilots
In addition to allowing pilot training, Iohannis gave the green light to some military transits bound for Ukraine.
In a letter, the President informed the Parliament that he had agreed to the transit to Ukraine of the equipment and training of about 50 Ukrainian soldiers transferred by Finland.
The issues will be considered at a meeting of the leaders of both chambers of the Romanian Parliament on Monday. The vote should take place at the next joint plenary session.
The authorities have not announced when the training will begin, but according to Digi24 sources, the Ukrainian military should arrive at the Fetesti Air Base this summer. F-16 pilot training is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Training of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16
According to The New York Times, the first twelve Ukrainian pilots will be ready for combat flights on F-16 fighters this summer.
The pilots will complete 10 months of training in Denmark, Great Britain and the United States.
However, at that time, Ukraine will have only six aircraft out of the approximately 45 fighters promised by the European allies.
In general, the training of Ukrainian pilots began in August 2023 at an air base in southern Denmark. Still, the process was slowed down by their language skills and knowledge of Western flight technology.
The NYT also writes that Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium have promised to send about 45 planes to Ukraine. They will be enough for three small squadrons.
Denmark plans to send the first six planes in late spring, with 13 more to arrive by the end of the year and in 2025.
