THE United States has given approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F16 fighter jets that Ukraine has requested, officials in Washington and Europe said yesterday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had pleaded for the jets specifically from Western allies, but the consent of the US was needed as the aircraft are made in that country.

President Joe Biden’s authorisation last May for allies to train Ukrainian forces in how to operate the warplanes, and eventually to provide the aircraft themselves, was preceded by months of debate in Washington and discreet talks with allies, officials said.