The first Western F-16 fighters from Denmark and the Netherlands are "already on their way" to Ukraine. They will join the defense of the sky already this summer.
This was stated by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the NATO summit in Washington, Voice of America reports.
"As we speak, the transfer of F-16s coming from Denmark is underway, coming from the Netherlands," the secretary of state said.
A joint statement by US President Joe Biden, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also said that "the process of transferring F-16s" to Ukraine is now underway. In the future, the countries will strengthen Ukraineʼs air-military capabilities, as well as help with the provision and armament of the F-16.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, thanked the USA, Denmark and the Netherlands for "practical steps" to strengthen the Ukrainian Air Force with F-16 fighters, and Belgium and Norway for their willingness to provide their F-16s.
"F-16s will also be used to strengthen Ukraineʼs air defense. I am confident that they will help us better protect Ukrainians from brutal Russian attacks, such as the attack on the Okhmatdyt Childrenʼs Hospital in Kyiv this week," the president wrote in X.
- In total, four countries agreed to transfer F-16 fighters to Ukraine: the Netherlands (42 aircraft, some of them training), Denmark (19 units), Belgium (30 F-16 fighters by 2028) and Norway, which announced the transfer on July 10, 2024 6 F-16 aircraft.
- Some of the F-16 fighter jets transferred to Ukraine by Western partners will be kept at foreign air bases so that they do not become a target for Russian troops.
- On July 9, 2024, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said that Ukraine is very much waiting for F-16 fighter jets, but the number of these aircraft announced by the allies is not enough. At least 128 F-16s are needed to match the Russians, who use 300 aircraft every day in the war.