Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that the first F-16 fighter jets have arrived in the country after long delays.
Zelenskiy confirmed in a Twitter post that the fighter jets were in Ukraine. Presidential Website Speaking at a ceremony marking the Ukrainian Air Force Day on Sunday, he pointed to an F-16 among a display of F-16s, MiG-29s and Su-27s. The fighter plane flewDuring the ceremony.
“The F-16s are in Ukraine. We made it happen. I am proud of all our people who have mastered these aircraft and have already begun to use them in the service of the country. I thank our team for this important achievement,” Zelenskyy said.
“I would like to thank all our partners who are supporting us really effectively with the F-16s and the countries who were the first to accept our request to provide aircraft. Thank you! Denmark, the Netherlands, the United States and all our partners, thank you for your support!” he continued.
Bloomberg It was first reported last week that Ukraine had received an unspecified number of F-16 fighter jets.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month that fighter jets were on their way to Ukraine and would be defending the country’s skies “this summer.”
“These fighter jets will be flying over Ukraine this summer to ensure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against Russian aggression,” Blinken said in a statement.
The Biden administration, which had previously not supported sending F-16 fighter jets to war-torn Ukraine, announced for the first time that the NATO allied force would commit to providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets in June 2023. President Zelensky has repeatedly said acquiring the F-16s would bolster Ukraine’s efforts against Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“And I hope that our Air Force, all our warriors, will feel the Ukrainian pride in our fighter jets and bring combat results to Ukraine that will bring us closer to our victory, the victory of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in his comments.
