International Ukraine receives F-16 delivery - deployment this summer

The F-16 fighter jets promised by foreign partners are to be deployed in Ukraine this summer to defend against the Russian war of aggression. The transfer of the jets is already underway, the USA, the Netherlands and Denmark announced in a joint statement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington.

F-16 jets provided by Denmark and the Netherlands

This concerns American-made F-16 jets provided by Denmark and the Netherlands. "The handover process for these F-16s is now underway and Ukraine will fly operational F-16s this summer," the statement said. "For security reasons, we cannot provide further details at this stage."

The three countries also thanked Belgium and Norway for agreeing to provide additional aircraft for Kiev.

Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for almost two and a half years and is dependent on foreign arms supplies to do so. For a long time, Kiev has also been urgently requesting Western-made fighter jets, above all the F-16.

USA paved the way at the G7 summit in Japan in 2023

At the G7 summit in Japan in May 2023, the USA paved the way for other countries to deliver jets of this type to Ukraine. Denmark and the Netherlands agreed to do so. The training of Ukrainian pilots and ground crews for this type of aircraft has been underway for months. However, none of the jets have yet arrived in Ukraine. Their main purpose is to prevent Russian aircraft from dropping bombs unhindered.

Selenskyj: Need at least 128 fighter jets

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously asked the allies for large numbers of Western fighter jets on the fringes of the summit. During a speech at the Ronald Reagan Foundation in Washington on the eve of the announcement, Selensky said that Ukraine was hoping to receive the first individual F-16 aircraft this summer. His country needs at least 128 fighter jets. Russia could deploy 300 aircraft a day to attack Ukraine.

According to Ukrainian media reports, Selenskyj found an original comparison for waiting for the partners' decisions: "You know, we always wait. Just like my mother used to wait for me after school and I always found a reason to come later. It's the same thing, only much more serious."