F‑16 jets boost Ukraine's air defense with deliveries from allies

The Times reports that Ukraine has received the first six F-16 aircraft from the Netherlands, with more from Denmark arriving soon. Earlier, Bloomberg conveyed information about the jets. A representative of the Ukrainian authorities has commented on these reports for the first time.

Ukraine has received its first multirole F-16 aircraft, Bloomberg announced on Wednesday, citing anonymous sources. They noted that the initial number of delivered aircraft is small.

Other media subsequently confirmed this information. The British portal The Times, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that six F-16 aircraft have been delivered to Ukraine from the Netherlands, and more will soon arrive from Denmark. The Ukrainian Air Force declined to comment.

On social media, photos appeared claiming to show an F-16 aircraft flying over Ukraine, but The Times reported that the authenticity of the material could not be verified.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to the President's Office, refused to confirm this information.

"These are informational speculations on social media; one should always pay attention to official comments. Bloomberg's publication does not refer to any official source," emphasized Podolyak in a television interview, reported by the Ukrainian portal 24 Kanal.

"Ukraine will not comment on the presence of F-16s because for us, the air component is an essential factor for survival. During wartime, we do not need to talk about it," added Mykhailo Podolyak.

However, on Wednesday evening, Lithuania's foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis confirmed the information.

"F-16s in Ukraine. Another impossible thing turned out to be totally possible," wrote Landsbergis on the portal X.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on July 10, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, that Dutch and Danish F-16 fighters "are in the process of being transferred to Ukraine from their European owners." He added that they would be "flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer."

According to previous agreements, Ukraine was to receive the first F-16 fighters in the summer months. Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium planned to deliver over 60 such machines to Ukraine.