Ukraine to get its first F-16 jets in June or July, says Kyiv military source
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen sitting in an F-16 jet during Mr Zelensky's visit to Denmark in 2023.
PHOTO: OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE
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KYIV – Kyiv expects to receive its first F-16 fighter jets from its Western allies in June or July, a high-ranking Ukrainian military source said on May 10.
Ukraine has sought US-made F-16 fighter jets to help it counter Russia’s air superiority for more than two years of war.
The source did not say which country would supply the jets.
So far, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Belgium have committed to sending F-16s to Ukraine.
Mr Illya Yevlash, spokesman for the air force, said this week that some Ukrainian pilots were completing their training to fly the warplanes.
The pilots and ground staff have been trained by Ukraine’s Western partners for months.
The Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small fleet of Soviet-era jets as it has fought to hold back Russia’s full-scale February 2022 invasion.
With Russian forces slowly advancing in the eastern Donbas region and mounting a fresh assault
