First batch of F‑16 jets arrives in Ukraine amid high hopes
As reported by Bloomberg, the first F-16 aircraft have arrived in Ukraine. The sources did not disclose how many aircraft had been delivered, but they emphasized that the end of July was the "last moment" to deliver the fighter jets.
8:39 PM EDT, July 31, 2024
Bloomberg announced on Wednesday that Ukraine has received its first multirole F-16 aircraft, citing informants who wished to remain anonymous.
It is unclear whether Ukrainian pilots, trained in recent months by Western allies, will be able to deploy these aircraft immediately or if this process will take more time, wrote Bloomberg, quoting its sources.
According to the agency, this is a "batch" of machines so far. The informants said the number of aircraft is small.
The Ukrainian government has not yet confirmed these reports. Information from Bloomberg is also cited by Kyiv Post.
NATO supports Ukraine. "Hope to break the Russian front"
On July 10, US President Joe Biden, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Dutch Minister Dick Schoof, who are leading the so-called fighter jet coalition, confirmed that Ukraine would receive its first F-16s this summer.
NATO countries have promised Ukraine a total of 65 US-made fighter jets.
In June, General Serhiy Holubtsov, Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, stated that some of the F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine will receive from Western partners will be "stored in safe bases outside our country's territory to prevent them from becoming targets of Russian attacks."
Ukrainians have been waiting for these machines for months, and hope lies in the F-16s to break the Russian front.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has already thanked the US, Denmark, and the Netherlands for "taking practical steps to achieve the goal of all Ukrainians - strengthening the Ukrainian air force with F-16 fighter jets."
More information will be provided shortly.
