Moscow: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday confirmed the arrival of F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine, calling it a “new phase of development” of the Ukrainian air force and thanking Ukrainian partners for the delivery.
“We are now in a new phase of development for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We have done a lot to transition the Ukrainian Air Force to a new aviation standard – Western combat aviation … F-16s in Ukraine. We ensured this,” Zelenskyy said on social media.
The post on X has a video showing a pair of F-16s flying, as well as two other fighter jets with Ukrainian markings, while Zelenskyy is seen presenting awards to servicepeople.
Earlier in the day, The Economist reported that Ukraine had received the first 10 of the 79 F-16 fighter jets promised by Western countries on July 31. The first batch of F-16 fighter jets arrived in Ukraine a year after US President Joe Biden’s administration gave the green light for European allies to send them, the newspaper reported, adding that by the end of 2024, Ukraine should have 20 F-16s in operation.
Earlier in the day, The Economist reported that Ukraine has received the first 10 of the 79 F-16 fighter jets promised by Western countries on July 31. The Telegraph newspaper reported that the F-16s supplied to Ukraine had made their first flights in an “air defense” capacity.
On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the delivery of F-16 jets to Kiev will not be able to significantly influence the dynamics of events at front as all the aircraft will be shot down and destroyed.
The Netherlands and Denmark were among the first countries to agree to supply F-16s to Ukraine. The White House later confirmed that Kiev would receive the US-made jets from third countries once Ukrainian pilots complete the training to fly them.
Western countries have ramped up their military and financial aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s military operation in 2022. The Kremlin warns against continued arms deliveries to Kiev, saying this would lead to further escalation of the conflict.
