THE United States has given approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F16 fighter jets that Ukraine has requested, officials in Washington and Europe said yesterday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had pleaded for the jets specifically from Western allies, but the consent of the US was needed as the aircraft are made in that country.

President Joe Biden’s authorisation last May for allies to train Ukrainian forces in how to operate the warplanes, and eventually to provide the aircraft themselves, was preceded by months of debate in Washington and discreet talks with allies, officials said.

The administration had concerns that the move might escalate tensions with Russia.

US officials also argued that learning to fly and logistically support the advanced F-16 would be difficult.

It was not immediately clear when the first F-16s might enter the conflict, but Ukrainian pilots will begin at least six months’ training on the aircraft this month, according to officials.

In eastern Ukraine, attack helicopter pilots welcomed the news.

They said that Russia had a clear advantage in the skies, but the introduction of modern fighter jets could dramatically shift the balance of power in Kiev’s favour.

The decision to approve the donations is a further sign that the 18-month-old war is no closer to an end and that Western nations continue to ignore calls from campaigners and human rights organisations to encourage de-escalation.

Also yesterday, Russia’s air defences blocked drone attacks on central Moscow and on the country’s ships in the Black Sea, according to officials, who blamed Ukraine.

Reporting on the latest in a series of such attacks on the Russian capital, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the drone had been shot down, with its debris falling on the city’s Expo Centre.

Unverified footage on social media showed thick grey smoke rising over Moscow in the early hours.

There was no immediate statement from Ukrainian officials. Kiev has never formerly acknowledged any attacks on Moscow, which had remained untouched by the war in Ukraine until recent months.

Last month, two separate drones crashed into a skyscraper near the Expo Centre, which is about three miles from the Kremlin.