Ukraine’s newly arrived F-16 fighter jets were put on display on Sunday by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who said the planes will boost the country’s war effort against Russia.
“These jets are in our sky and today you see them,” said Mr Zelenskiy, standing in front of two of the fighter jets as two others flew overhead in close formation.
“It’s good that they are here and that we can put them to use.”
Ukraine is also trying to get neighbouring countries to help defend it against Russian missiles, he said.
We are now in a new phase of development for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We have done a lot to transition the Ukrainian Air Force to a new aviation standard – Western combat aviation. From the beginning of this war, we have been talking with our partners about… pic.twitter.com/z21yTU0Hjo
Advertisement— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 4, 2024
“This decision is probably a difficult one for our partners, as they are always afraid of unnecessary escalation,” said Mr Zelenskiy.
“We will work on this, I think we have a good option of a Nato-Ukraine council, so that Nato countries could talk to Ukraine about the possibility of a small coalition of neighbouring countries that would shoot down enemy missiles.”
Two F-16 jets, sporting Ukraine’s trident insignia on their tails and draped in camouflage netting, were a dramatic background for Mr Zelenskiy’s address on air forces day, an event held under tight security at an undisclosed location to protect the fighter jets from Russian attacks.
“Since the beginning of this war, we have been talking with our partners about the need to protect our Ukrainian skies from Russian missiles and Russian aircraft,” Mr Zelenskiy said.
“Now we have a new reality in our skies. The F-16s are in Ukraine. We made it happen. I am proud of our guys who are mastering these aircraft and have already started using them for our country. Our combat aviation will bring us closer to victory.”
Ukraine may keep some of the F-16 fighter jets at foreign bases to protect them from Russian strikes, according to a senior Ukrainian military official.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow could consider launching strikes at facilities in Nato countries if they host the warplanes used in Ukraine.
Although new to Ukraine, the F-16s are actually older jets that have been donated by western allies.
Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have committed to providing Ukraine with more than 60 of them over coming months in what could be a slow trickle of deliveries.
Mr Zelenskiy did not say how many F-16s have arrived in Ukraine or which countries they came from.
The F-16s will boost Ukraine’s military strength, especially by upgrading its air defences. But analysts say they will not turn the tide of the war on their own.
Russia is making small but steady battlefield gains in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and its steady forward movement is adding up as Ukraine gradually yields ground.
