translator: we will have our victory. reporter: volodymyr zelenskyy in an exclusive interview with cnn on the battle for it. republican scepticism about spending more. i said no blank checks. reporter: what president biden told him in the war zone. and his plea for american war planes. are u.s. fighter jets the weapon that will make or break a ukrainian victory? a cnn prime time special. the interview starts right now . good evening. i m wolf blitzer. at this very moment, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy and his country are facing a critical time in the invasion. now in its second year. for the first time in eight months, the russians could, could be on the cusp of capturing a ukrainian city, bakhumt. the sight of the bloodiest battle of the war. a warning that bakhmut may fall in the coming days. ukrainian s military claims to be holding off putin s army around the city saying they killed more than 100 russian soldiers in a 24-hour period. they also ackn
forces are close to encircling bakhmut. the u.s. is downplaying the strategic significance if russia wins this round of the war. also tonight, republicans are presented with the sharpest contrast yet between donald trump and ron desantis. we re breaking down dueling speeches by the former president and the current florida governor as they gear up for a potential 2024 primary showdown. and a series of new airline scares is raising serious questions about aviation safety here in the united states. from a bird strike that caused engine failure and smoke in the cabin to the wings of two commercial jets clipping on the many close cal? welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i m wolf blitzer. you re in the situation room. we begin on the front lines of eastern ukraine right now, where the battle for bakhmut is growing more urgent by the hour. russian fighters making gains as they move to surround the city. cnn s alex marquardt is joining us live
The first four Ukrainian pilots will complete their F-16 fighter jet training program by summer 2024, CNN reported on Feb. 20, citing the Arizona National Guard.
simulators are capable of simulating different u.s. fighter jets, including f-16s. one u.s. military official called this a familiarization event with ukrainian fighter pilots and u.s. fighter pilots. two other u.s. officials tell us that it s the 162nd fighter wing of the arizona air national guard that s doing this sort of program or this exchange, if you will, this evaluation, and that s significant because the 162nd fighter wing is in charge of training u.s. allies on f-16s in particular. that s why there is this focus again on f-16s that, as you rightly point out, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy as has repeatedly requested. the pentagon is trying to portray this as something more along the lines of routine, an exchange between a foreign partner and the united states. but clearly there is a signal here. ukraine very much still interested in this. even if they had a policy, if the d.o.d. says f-16s are not