Zelenskyy announces arrival of additional F-16 fighters to Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a press conference on the occasion of the Air Force Day, photo: Efrem Lukatsky/Copyright 2024 The AP

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that several more fourth-generation F-16 fighter jets have arrived in Ukraine.

«Additional F-16s have arrived in Ukraine. This is good news», he said during a video conference with journalists.

However, the president did not disclose the exact number of fighter jets or the country from which they were transferred.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also commented on Russia's statement about the alleged downing of an F-16 in Sumy region.

Advertising

«The Russians lied about shooting down an F-16. This is a lie! No one shot down the F-16! But several F-16 aircraft arrived in Ukraine,» he said.

It should be noted that Russian media outlets reported that a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet was allegedly shot down over Sumy region by a S-400 air defence missile system, which was allegedly paired with a Su-35 fighter jet. However, the Air Force also denied this information.

Earlier, Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever said that the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine had been postponed until 2026.

At the same time, Belgium is supposed to transfer 30 of its F-16 fighters to Ukraine by 2028.

It was also reported that Ukraine will be able to use the F-16s and other weapons that Belgium will transfer as part of the security agreement only on its territory.