Kyiv, Ukraine - A first group of Ukrainian pilots is ready to set off to begin training on F-16 fighter jets abroad, the air force said on Monday.

"We are waiting for the first group to leave and then the second will follow," Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuri Ihnat told Ukraine's public television on Monday.

Several dozen Ukrainians as well as technical personnel are to be trained on the US-made fighter jets.

Ihnat did not confirm in which country the training would be conducted.

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In June, the Netherlands said that training for Ukrainian pilots would soon begin.

"The president has given a green light and we will allow, permit, support, facilitate and in fact provide the necessary tools for Ukrainians to begin being trained on F-16s, as soon as the Europeans are prepared," US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s State of the Union.

"The United States will not be the hold-up in ensuring that this F-16 training can get underway," Sullivan added.

Kyiv has long pressed for the delivery of Western fighter jets to defend itself from the Russian invasion that began almost 17 months ago.

Currently, the Ukrainian Air Force has been fighting with out-of-date Soviet-made aircraft.