Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sits in a F-16 fighter jet at Skrydstrup Airbase in Vojens, Denmark, August 20, 2023.
Credit: Reuters Photo
The Netherlands and Denmark said Sunday that they would donate F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine — the first countries to do so — in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine said was a breakthrough in his nation’s quest to acquire the aircraft considered imperative in the war against Russia.
The procurement of American-made F-16s to supplement a fleet of Soviet-era jets has been a priority for Zelenskyy’s government for months as it seeks advantage over Russia’s air force and to improve its own air defenses. Ukrainian officials acknowledged last week, however, that NATO countries would not donate the planes before next year, which is too late for use in a counteroffensive the government in Kyiv launched this summer.
President Joe Biden, setting aside months of resistance, said in May that NATO countries could train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s, and on Thursday a US official said that the United States would allow allies to send the jets.
Speaking during a visit to the Netherlands, Zelenskyy said that country would donate 42 jets once Ukrainian pilots and engineers had been trained. He also visited Denmark on Sunday and was in Sweden on Saturday, where aircraft were also on the agenda.
Denmark’s Defense Ministry said Sunday in a statement that it would donate 19 F-16s to Ukraine.
F-16s would enhance the country’s ground-launched air defenses, which are used to fight off Russian missile attacks and could also act as a deterrent to Moscow in the longer term because they could erase its aerial superiority.
For now, Ukraine is pressing ahead with its counteroffensive, launched in June, in the absence of the jets, which some military analysts say could have enabled it to deploy large-scale coordinated battle tactics used by NATO countries and taught to Ukrainian troops by its allies.
On Saturday, Sweden and Ukraine announced a preliminary agreement covering production, repair and training for Sweden’s CV90 infantry fighting vehicle. So far in the war, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Sweden has given 2.2 billion euros, or about $2.4 billion, in aid to Ukraine, including the CV90s, Leopard tanks, Archer artillery systems and mine-clearing equipment.