2024-08-05 05:07:39
“We often heard the word ‘impossible’, but still we made possible what was our ambition, our defense need,” the president told reporters on the Day of the Air Force of Ukraine.
“And now it’s really a reality in our skies – F-16 in Ukraine. We achieved it. I’m proud of our guys, who are learning these aircrafts with high quality and have already started using them for the benefit of our country,” said Zelensky.
The head of state thanked the partners who “effectively helped with the F-16, and the first countries that accepted our request to provide these planes were Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States,” the president said.
He also stated that “the number of planes that have been delivered to Ukraine and the number of pilots that have already been trained are still insufficient, while our partners are aware of the required number.”
The president also said he could not release details at this time about what missions the fighter jets will perform or which ones they “have already performed.”
On July 31, “Bloomberg” news agency, referring to anonymous sources, reported that Western fighter jets F-16 “in small numbers” have been handed over to Ukraine.
Later, “The Economist” magazine reported that the first ten fighter jets out of a total of 79 planned to be procured within the framework of the international aviation alliance were delivered to Ukraine.
By the end of the year, Ukraine should receive ten more, the publication said.
2024-08-05 05:07:39