Numerous reports Thursday said NATO-member Norway has rushed to follow the Netherlands and Denmark to donate U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Norwegian media outlets made their revelations as Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was visiting the Ukraine capital Kyiv.
AP reports there was no official confirmation of the plan, which was reported by Norwegian broadcasters NRK and TV2.
Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter jets to give it a combat edge, as Breitbart News reported.
Last week, the Netherlands and Denmark announced that they would answer that call and donate F-16 aircraft.
Denmark said it will provide 19 planes, while the Netherlands has not said how many planes it will donate.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky toured several European countries, including the Netherlands and Denmark, but skipped Norway.
A clearly delighted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) reacts as he sits in a F-16 fighter jet in the hangar of the Skrydstrup Airbase in Vojens, northern Denmark, on August 20, 2023. (MADS CLAUS RASMUSSEN/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty)
The Norwegian government has long said it is considering sending F-16s to Ukraine.
In January, Norway received the first of the 52 F-35s it has ordered. The new fighter jets are to replace the country’s existing fleet of F-16s.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.