The Biden Administration has given its approval for NATO members Denmark and the Netherlands to send F-16s to Ukraine as those countries phase the fighter out of active service. The two countries have been at the forefront of efforts to train Ukrainian pilots and crews to fly and service the jets. The training, which will begin later this month in Denmark, is expected to last at least 6 months, and by mid-2024 the Netherlands will retire its 24 F-16s. Denmark will retire its F-16s as it receives F-35s to replace them with the first four due in October. Approval has been delayed over concerns that providing the F-16s will escalate tensions between NATO and Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine has reached an agreement to double its grain exports through Romania to countries who have depended on wheat, barley, and sunflower oil from Ukraine.
