The US State Department on May 2 approved a deal to provide training and equipment for F-16 fighter jets already in Ukraine.
The State Department said it notified Congress that it has given the nod for a $310.5 million sale to Ukraine that will include services to maintain the aircraft in addition to training and equipment.
"The proposed sale will improve Ukraine's capability to meet current and future threats by ensuring its pilots are effectively trained and by increasing its interoperability with the United States," the State Department said in a statement.
Ukraine has previously received F-16 jets from US allies under a transfer authorized by former President Joe Biden's administration. Ukraine received its first deliveries of F-16s in mid-2024 after two years of pushing Biden to approve their transfer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this year announced the delivery of a fresh batch of jets but did not say how many were delivered.
SEE ALSO: Ukraine Welcomes Deliveries Of Mirage, F-16 Fighter Jets To Strengthen Air DefensesThe deal announced on May 2 -- which Ukraine will pay for -- comes after US President Donald Trump criticized the billions of dollars in military and economic support provided to Kyiv under the Biden administration.
Zelenskyy said F-16s were discussed on May 2 during a meeting on the development Ukraine’s fleet of military aircraft.
“All the key issues were discussed: the F-16s that are already in Ukraine, the F-16s we expect in the near future, and the systemic solutions that will help us prepare and use our military aviation more effectively,” he said on X. “I thank everyone who is strengthening our actions in the skies.”
The weapons and equipment pledged to Ukraine under Biden were mostly approved under the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), which allows the president to approve rapid transfers to foreign countries from US military stockpiles.
These weapons and others purchased with US funds on behalf of Ukraine continue to flow.
The sale approved by the State Department on May 2 is separate and represents an actual weapons deal whose principal contractors include US defense contractors Lockheed Martin Aeronautics and BAE Systems, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The sale could include aircraft modifications and upgrades, flight training, maintenance, and sustainment support; spare parts, repair, ground handling equipment, classified software, classified publications and support, the statement said.