Zelenskyy wants foreigners to fly F-16s for Ukraine until his troops are ready

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is aiming to hire foreign fliers familiar with the F-16 fighter jet to fill the gap until sufficient Ukrainian air force officers are able to turn the tide against Russia.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, recently returned to Washington following a trip to Ukraine with Democratic Senate colleague Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. It was the GOP lawmaker’s sixth visit since Russia invaded its smaller neighbor in February 2022.

“President Zelenskyy told us both that he would be looking to supplement his air force by establishing a program to enlist retired NATO F-16 fighter pilots. We support this effort,” Mr. Graham said in a Monday press release. “Ukraine is already fielding units of freedom fighters on the ground, and this volunteer force should be replicated in the air.”

Officials haven’t confirmed how many American-made F-16s will be provided to Ukraine. But Mr. Zelenskyy said the deal is a clear sign his country is moving away from a Soviet-patterned military to one focused on the West.

“We knew (the deal) was achievable, that the world has the power to make it happen. We combined political, diplomatic and military efforts for this purpose,” Mr. Zelenskyy said last week on X. “Gradually, step-by-step, we managed to achieve the result.”

The foreign pilots wouldn’t necessarily be Americans. At least 25 countries have F-16s in their air combat inventory. But it wouldn’t be unprecedented for U.S. citizens to serve in combat in support of foreign countries. The American Volunteer Group, better known as the Flying Tigers, was hired to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China in World War II. The unit was composed of pilots from the Army, Navy and Marines.

American pilots who wanted to fight the Nazis before the U.S. entered World War II in December 1941 could join Royal Air Force Eagle Squadrons.

“From the beginning of this war, we have been talking with our partners about the need to close the Ukrainian sky from Russian missiles and aircraft,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “We often heard the word ‘impossible’ in response, but we made possible what was our ambition, our defense needs, and now it is a reality in our skies — F-16s in Ukraine.”