The US-made F-16 is an iconic fighter jet that’s been the frontline combat plane of choice for the NATO alliance and numerous air forces worldwide for 50 years.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy displayed the newly arrived F-16 fighter jets in Ukraine on Sunday.
“These jets are in our sky and today you see them,” said Zelenskyy, 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, Zelenskyy said.
“This decision is probably a difficult one for our partners, as they are always afraid of unnecessary escalation,” said Ukraine’s president. “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.”
The F-16 jets sported Ukraine’s trident insignia on their tails and were draped in camouflage netting, providing a background for Zelenskyy’s address on Armed Forces Day.
“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,” Zelenskyy said. “Now we have a new reality in our skies. The F-16s are in Ukraine. We made it happen”.
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 reacted by saying that Moscow would consider launching strikes on facilities in NATO countries if they hosted Ukraine’s warplanes.
Although new to Ukraine, the F-16s are older jets that have been donated by Western allies of Ukraine.
Belgium, Denmark and Norway have committed to giving Ukraine over 60 jets in the upcoming months. Zelenskyy did not say how many F-16s have arrived in Ukraine or which countries they came from.
Last August, US President Joe Biden said that used F-16s could be deployed to Ukraine, although Washington wouldn’t provide any of its own planes.
Analysts say that the F-16s will boost Ukraine’s military strength, but they will likely not be enough to turn the tide of the war as Russia continues to make small but steady gains on the battlefield.