Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the first Western F-16 fighter jets have already arrived in Ukraine. He did not specify the number of planes currently in Ukraine.
"I am proud of all our guys who master these planes and have already started using them for our state. I thank our team for this result. I thank all the partners who really effectively help with the F-16, and the first countries that accepted our request for the provision of aircraft — Denmark, the Netherlands, the USA. And all our partners — we appreciate your support!” Zelensky said.
The receipt of the aircraft was officially announced on a symbolic date, because August 4 is the Day of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Zelensky calls the arrival of Western fighter jets a "new stage" in the development of Ukraineʼs air force.
Combat planes have been reaching Ukraine for more than a year. This journey was complicated by delays, questions about spare parts and the language barrier between the Ukrainian pilots and their foreign instructors.
- On July 31, Bloomberg, citing a source, reported that the first batch of F-16 fighters had already arrived in Ukraine. Until now, Ukraine has not officially commented on the arrival of the planes.
- 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 — 6 F-16 aircraft.