Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed that the first F-16 fighter jets have arrived in the country after a prolonged delay.
In a statement on his presidential website on Sunday, Zelensky announced the arrival of the fighter jets. He highlighted their presence during a ceremony on the Day of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where F-16s, MiG-29, and Su-27 fighter jets flew overhead.
“F-16s are in Ukraine. We made it happen. I am proud of all our guys who are skillfully mastering these aircraft and have already started using them for our state. I thank our team for this important result,” said Zelensky.
He also expressed gratitude to Ukraine’s international partners: “I thank all our partners who are really effectively helping us with the F-16s, and the first states that accepted our request for the provision of the aircraft. Thank you Denmark, the Netherlands, the United States, and all our partners — we appreciate your support.”
Bloomberg reported last week that Ukraine had received an unspecified number of F-16s.
Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the jets were on their way to Ukraine and were expected to defend Ukraine’s skies this summer.
“Those jets will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer, to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression,” Blinken said.
The Biden administration announced in June 2023 that NATO partners would provide F-16s to Ukraine, after initially not supporting the move. Zelensky has consistently emphasized that acquiring F-16s would bolster Ukraine’s defense efforts against Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Zelensky concluded with a message to the Air Force: “And I wish our Air Force, all our warriors, to feel the pride of Ukrainians in our combat aviation and to deliver to Ukraine exactly the kind of combat results that will bring our victory — the victory of Ukraine — closer.”