The commander of Ukraine’s air force said on Friday that it had shared with U.S. partners a preliminary report about an F-16 jet crash that took place on Monday.
Mykola Oleshchuk said on Telegram that partners from the United States, where the F-16 is manufactured, were assisting the investigation.
The Ukrainian military said on Thursday that the F-16 crashed and its pilot died while approaching a target during a major Russian air strike on Monday.
A U.S. defense official told Reuters that Monday’s crash did not appear to be the result of Russian fire, and possible causes from pilot error to mechanical failure were still being
investigated.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said on Thursday that the U.S. had not been asked to participate in any type of investigation to look into the F-16 incident.
The arrival of the first F-16 jets was a milestone for Ukraine in the fight against the full-scale invasion Russia launched 2-1/2 years ago.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had confirmed earlier this week that US-made F-16 jets were being used to bring down Russian missiles and drones. The Dutch defence chief had said that his country would provide Ukraine 24 F16 jets in addition to other weapons.
There will be no restrictions on their usage apart from complying with humanitarian law, he had said in Washington DC recently, meaning that Kyiv could launch deeper strikes into Russian territory.
NATO countries have so far pledged to supply Ukraine with 65 F-16 fighters since President Biden authorised them in August last year. The F-16s are working alongside a limited number of Patriot missile systems that are already on the ground.
With Reuters inputs
