Belgium commits to delivering 30 F-16 fighter jets to kyiv by 2028

Belgium will commit to providing Ukraine with thirty F-16 combat aircraft by 2028, announced Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib on Tuesday May 28. “We are going to sign an agreement soon”, she declared on the microphone of Bel-RTL, while her country welcomes a visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainian leader must travel for a few hours to Belgium to sign a bilateral security agreement with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, according to the Belgian Chancellery, then meet the Belgian King Philippe.

At midday, the latter will also go to the Melsbroek military airport, near Brussels (Belgium), where he will meet F-16 pilots. Since February 2022, Belgium has promised to help Ukraine to the tune of 1.2 billion euros, including 916 million planned for 2024 alone, according to Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder. There Belgium joined a coalition made up of the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway last year to supply these fighter planes to kyiv.