Ukraine’s F-16s delayed as Belgium waits on F-35s

This was stated by Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, who arrived in Kyiv on April 8 for a working visit.

He noted that the exact timeline depends on the arrival of F-35 aircraft in Belgium.

“We promised to be the biggest supplier of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, and we will keep our word. We will provide two F-16s for spare parts this year, and we will definitely provide two aircraft next year. We hope to do more, but we depend on the delivery of the F-35s,” said De Wever.

The Prime Minister emphasized that there will be no delays in delivering the jets to Ukraine once Belgium receives its F-35s.

“It’s simple: we receive the F-35s, you get the F-16s. But don’t doubt that we will fulfill our promise to send all the fighter jets to your country as soon as possible. There will be no delays from Belgium in supplying the F-16s,” De Wever assured.

F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine: What’s known so far

Discussions about transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine began back in 2022. General James Hecker, Commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Africa, stated that Ukraine would receive the F-16s only 2–3 years after the corresponding political decision was made.

Key decisions were reached in May 2023, when U.S. President Joe Biden approved the training of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16. A few days later, at the Ramstein meeting of Ukraine’s allies, a decision was made to form an air coalition to train Ukrainian pilots.

The Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Norway agreed to provide Ukraine with the fighter jets.

The first F-16s arrived in Ukraine in August 2024. In March 2025, media reported that Belgium had postponed the transfer of its F-16s to Ukraine by one year.