Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov says F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots will begin in August. The defense minister said he thought, optimistically, pilots could be operating F-16s in the skies of Ukraine by spring of next year. The defense minister said the maintenance of the jets is a "serious task”. He said the trainings may be split between countries, but the final plans were still being finalized. The minister joked that the group of 11 nations that have committed to helping Ukraine train pilots on the F16s are called “Ocean’s 11,” after the popular film.

Source: CNN July 23, 2023 15:32 UTC