Volodymyr Zelensky announces receipt of first F-16 fighter jets, but considers their number “insufficient”

It took more than two years. Ukraine has received its first Western F-16 fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Sunday, August 4, showing them to journalists, while emphasizing that their number was “insufficient”Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, kyiv has been pleading for F-16s, hoping to end Russian dominance in the air and better protect its cities and troops from relentless Russian bombing.

American-made, the planes are considered the crown jewel in a sprawling list of military hardware Ukraine has requested from its backers as it tries to repel the advance of Russian forces on its soil. “We have held hundreds of meetings and negotiations” with the allies to obtain these planes and strengthen the country’s air defense, and “We have often heard the words ‘it’s impossible’ in response”said Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking at a ceremony at a secret site in Ukraine.

“Now it is reality, reality in our skies. F-16s are in Ukraine”the Ukrainian head of state said with satisfaction. He did not reveal the precise number of devices received by kyiv, limiting himself to saying that it was “insufficient”as well as the number of Ukrainian pilots trained in the West to fly and maintain these aircraft. Neither the date of delivery nor the country that supplied this first batch have been disclosed.

“The positive thing is that we are expecting additional F-16s” and “A lot of our guys are being trained”assured the Ukrainian president. AFP journalists saw at least two F-16s flying over the site during the ceremony. In mid-May, Volodymyr Zelensky had said in an interview with AFP that he needed 120 to 130 of these aircraft to achieve parity with the Russian air force.