“Everything is being done to get it started as early as possible,” Ihnat told Ukrainian national television, adding that the pilots picked for training would have combat experience.

“It’s not training, it’s retraining,” Ihnat said.

Ukraine, which has launched a long-awaited counter-offensive, has repeatedly said it needs new Western aircraft to successfully counter Russia’s aerial dominance.

Nato members the Netherlands and Denmark are leading efforts by an international coalition to train pilots and support staff, maintain aircraft and ultimately supply F-16s to Ukraine.

Dutch defence minister Kajsa Ollongren told Reuters this week that training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s could begin as soon as this summer.

She said the aim would be to have the training programme fully operational within six months. Denmark, where there are flight simulators, is a possible location to host the program.

A final decision has not yet been taken on a request from Kyiv to supply dozens of F-16s, Ollongren said. The US-backed training program will include Belgium and Luxembourg, while France and Britain have offered assistance, she said.