In an interview with BBC, Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky expressed disappointment over the non-delivery of F-16 fighter jets by Western backers despite their pledges of dozens of units. These jets would be instrumental in countering Russia’s aerial dominance and “unblocking the skies.
During NATO’s Vilnius Summit, a coalition comprising Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Sweden pledged to support Ukraine by providing F-16 aircraft or training Ukrainian pilots. Later, Greece, the US, Bulgaria, and France joined this coalition.
Speaking about the F-16s, President Zelensky told BBC, “it’s been 18 months, and the planes have not reached us.” Earlier this month, the outgoing Dutch government announced that it had finalized preparations for delivering F-16s to Ukraine, which is expected to happen soon. The country has promised a total of 24 warplanes.
Around the same time, Denmark confirmed its process of transferring the 19 fighter jets they pledged to Kiev. Belgium is expected to supply Ukraine with 30 F-16s, and Norway announced plans to send six.
In Washington, DC on the sidelines of this month’s NATO summit, President Zelensky expressed dissatisfaction over the low number of F-16s pledged by Ukraine’s Western backers, with Kiev expected to receive no more than 20 soon. He emphasized that even if they get 50 F-16s, it would still be nothing compared to Russia’s estimated number of warplanes, which stands at around 300.
Zelensky further explained that defensively, Ukraine would need a fleet of 128 F-16s for parity with Russia. However, the non-delivery of these fighter jets has raised concerns over the potential impact on Ukraine’s defense capabilities. Additionally, Moscow has warned against supplying Western warplanes to Kiev, stressing that any aircraft taking off from foreign bases and used against Russian forces would render those facilities “legitimate targets” for Russian strikes.