Zelenskyy reveals how many F-16 fighter jets Ukraine needs

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared this during an interview with Portuguese broadcaster RTP.

To achieve this, Ukraine requires an additional 100 fighter jets on top of the already promised 50-60 F-16 aircraft expected in early 2024.

The President expressed disappointment that this air support is arriving "later than desired," and Russian air superiority remains unchallenged.

President Zelenskyy mentioned that these fighter jets should be operational in Ukrainian airspace by early next year. This is a complex task, involving training for pilots and engineers, as well as specialized maintenance. He emphasized that Ukraine needs these fighter jets for defense and safeguarding civilian lives, not for offensive operations.

F-16 fighters for Ukraine

On May 21, US President Joe Biden approved the training of Ukrainians on F-16s. Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured that Ukraine would not use these aircraft to strike at Russian territory.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says that the first F-16 fighter jets are likely to fly in Ukraine's skies by the end of March 2024.

On Sunday, July 16, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the US would not postpone training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, and Biden allowed European countries to start training.

On August 11, it was reported that the first group of Ukrainian pilots would complete training on F-16 fighter jets no earlier than next summer. The start of combat training will be preceded by 4-month language courses.

On August 12, the White House said that the United States could join the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s on its territory if "the potential for training in Europe is achieved."

Later, Yuriy Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force Command, told Espreso that the process of transferring F-16s to Ukraine is ongoing, with daily efforts. The negotiation process is complex, involving a collective decision among all the countries that are part of the "air coalition."

And Romanian President Klaus Iohannis confirmed that the country will train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s: a regional training center will be opened there.

Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat announced on August 17 that Ukraine won't be able to get F-16 fighters from Western allies during the upcoming fall or winter. Therefore, the focus will be on bolstering air defense capabilities. Concurrently, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed optimism about the prospect of providing F-16s to Ukraine, while Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hinted at forthcoming positive news.

On August 20 Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to the Netherlands to discuss the supply of F-16 fighter jets with Prime Minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte: according to the president, a "breakthrough agreement" was reached. Netherlands will send 42 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine

On August 24, during his visit to Kyiv, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre confirmed the country's plans to provide a certain number of F-16 fighters and join the training of pilots. The Norwegian government also announced that the country would provide Ukraine with IRIS-T missiles.

On the same day, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Portugal would join the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s.

Later, media reported that the Pentagon plans to start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets in the USA in September: first they will learn English, and then they will begin flight training.

A Polish plant plans to produce 70-80% of the F-16 hull structure by the end of next year.

On the evening of Wednesday, August 30, it was reported that some of the Ukrainian pilots have already successfully passed preparatory measures and can begin training for the F-16.

On the same day, Romania and the Netherlands reached an agreement to establish a training center for Ukrainian F-16 pilots.