The first batch of F-16 fighter jets has arrived in Ukraine after more than a year of negotiations and pilot training, US and Lithuanian officials have revealed.
The American official, who requested anonymity, told Reuters that the initial delivery has been “completed.”
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also celebrated the milestone, saying the “impossible” can become “totally possible” for Ukraine.
F-16s in Ukraine. Another impossible thing turned out to be totally possible.
— Gabrielius Landsbergis🇱🇹 (@GLandsbergis) July 31, 2024
It was not immediately clear how many F-16s arrived, but the war-torn nation is expected to receive a total of 20 by the end of the year.
In August 2023, Washington gave the greenlight for the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands. Copenhagen promised 19 jets to Kyiv, while Amsterdam said it would donate 24.
Belgium and Norway also vowed to donate 30 and six F-16s, respectively.
‘Not a Turning Point’
Earlier this week, a senior US official said Washington agreed to increase the lethality of Ukraine-bound F-16s by arming them with advanced weapons.
The move aims to further strengthen Kyiv’s air defense capabilities and allow the jets to effectively shield the country’s population centers from Moscow’s attacks.
Nevertheless, defense analysts maintain that the aircraft alone will not be a “turning point” in the war.
They argue that it will be difficult for Ukrainian forces to operate the advanced warplanes in areas heavily defended by Russia.
Russian Response
Following reports of the F-16’s arrival in Ukraine, Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov said their forces are ready to shoot the US-built warplanes down.
He also claimed that the jets would have no significant impact on the war.
“These deliveries will not be able to significantly influence the dynamics of events at the front,” he stressed. “These planes will appear and gradually their number will decrease; they will be shot down and destroyed.”
Peskov disclosed that rewards have been offered for soldiers who can neutralize an F-16.
