He said after meeting: "I want to especially thank Denmark and the Netherlands, who have decided to lead the European coalition to provide F-16 training for Ukrainian forces. In the coming weeks, my Danish and Dutch counterparts will work with the US and other allies to develop a framework for the exercise."
He added that Norway, Belgium, Portugal and Poland have also offered to contribute to the training.
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![loyd Austin, Head of the Pentagon](/media/contentimages/3aa646fb80517408.webp)
"We expect that more countries will soon join this initiative," the US Defence Secretary emphasised.
Earlier, Austin expressed hope that the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters will begin in the coming weeks.
Ukrainian pilots will train on F-16 fighters at military bases in Europe, the Pentagon said earlier.
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