Zelenskiy confirms Ukraine already deploying F-16s fighter jets
- 4 August, 09:04
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has confirmed that the Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets have already been deployed to the country’s Air Forces.
"F-16s are in Ukraine. We did it. I am proud of all our guys who master these planes and have already started using them for our state," Zelenskiy said on August 4 as the country was marking the Ukrainian Air Force day.
"I thank all the partners who are really helping with the F-16 and the first countries that accepted our request for aircraft - Denmark, the Netherlands, the United States,” Zelenskiy said in a location that was not disclosed to the media due to security concerns.
The arrival of US-made fighter jets is a game changer for Ukraine after months of lobbying, although it’s unclear to what extent F-16s will be effective in thwarting Russian attacks.
Kyiv had sought after the F-16s since the start of Russia’s invasion of the country two years ago. The first batch of the fighter jets that have great destructive capacity were delivered to Ukraine a year after the launch of the Danish-Dutch-led "fighter jet coalition" at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023. However, Ukraine does not have enough pilots to fly F-16s. Speaking on the tarmac of an airfield, Zelenskiy said that many Ukrainian pilots were being trained to use the fighter jets. “The good thing is that we are expecting additional F-16s,” Zeleskiy stressed.
The Kremlin had been preparing for the US fighter jets’ arrival in Ukraine, with the Russian army striking many bases housing them. The Russian military leadership pledged to shoot them all so that they do not affect the war.
The fighter jets are equipped with 20mm cannon and have the capacity to carry out bombs, missiles and rockets.
