Key developments on July 31: * First F-16 fighter jets arrive in Ukraine, Bloomberg reports * Ukraine downs all 89 Russian drones launched in mass attack * Russia used new 'distracting' drone type during recent attack on Ukraine, Kyiv says * Ukrainian Navy claims attack on Russian weapons depot near Kursk * Azov soldier Oleksandr
The news comes a year after the allied "fighter jet coalition" took shape following Kyiv's repeated appeals for Western aircraft.
The Pentagon has limited stocks and production capacities, but it will supply Ukrainian F-16s with air-to-ground munitions, precision-guidance kits for bombs, and advanced air-to-air missiles in sufficient quantities to meet Ukraine's most urgent needs, a senior U.S. official said.
According to WP, the F-16s will not be brought close to the front line at first, so it is unclear whether they will be able to deter Russian planes flying in from Russian airspace.
Another 12 F-16s will be in the country by the end of the year, Lockheed Martin, the company that manufactures the jets said in a press release.
"And today, we have a positive decision from the Polish government on a specific issue, which will allow Ukraine to receive F-16 jets sooner," President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X without elaborating.
Ukraine is yet to receive the first of the pledged F-16 fighter jets, despite waiting for them for year and a half, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the BBC on July 18.
The recent career of the outgoing Dutch Ambassador, Jennes de Mol, has been a good reflection of his country's relations with Ukraine. A career diplomat, De Mol was the Dutch Consul General in Saint Petersburg in 2014, when he came to Kyiv to assist the Dutch embassy in the aftermath
Key developments on July 12: * Russian losses in Ukraine reached 'conflict highs' in past 2 months, UK Defense Ministry says * Permission to strike Russia with UK missiles 'not a done deal,' British officials tell Telegraph * Ukraine's Prosecutor General urges ICC to prosecute Russian attack on Kyiv hospital * 'Depends on
NATO is yet concerned about logistical difficulties in maintaining these aircraft and the lack of suitable runways in Ukraine, according to Bloomberg.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with the latest news that F-16s have reportedly arrived in Ukraine After a long wait, F-16 fighter jets have finally arrived in Ukraine, according to reports. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg said the deadline for the delivery of the first
"But it is possible also to reach targets outside Ukraine (with Danish-supplied F-16s), yes," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen added.
Swedish government did not refuse to send Gripen along with F-16 fighter jets from other allies, but Ukraine said that having two aircraft systems at the same time "was too much," Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom.
Key updates on July 10: * F-16s from Netherlands, Denmark on their way to Ukraine, Blinken announces * NATO allies to announce $43 billion commitment to Ukraine for next year, White House says * New UK PM signals Ukraine can use Storm Shadow missiles to hit targets inside Russia * Hundreds want to join
"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin's aggression knows no bounds, so our support must continue at full speed," Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said.
The first F-16 fighter jets are on their way from the Netherlands and Denmark to Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on July 10 during the NATO summit in Washington.
Norway will donate six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, with the deliveries starting this year, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a press release on July 10.
Key updates on July 9: * Rescue operations end at Kyiv children's hospital, at least 33 killed in capital overall * Ukraine struck airbase, oil depot, and energy facility in Russia overnight, source says * Ukrainian partisans say they sabotaged railway in Russia's Rostov Oblast * North Korean military trainers travel to Russia weeks
"Ukrainian aviation should receive long-range missiles to destroy Russia's infrastructure, including airfields. When this happens, the logistics of the Russian army will be cut off from the main forces. If this is done, Ukraine's army command should form a strike group and strike back," Kraszewski said.
As Kyiv gets ready to receive the first batch of Western F-16 fighter jets, Ukraine's airfields face an uptick in Russian strikes. Over the past week, Moscow carried out at least three missile strikes targeting Ukrainian airfields — in Myrhorod, Poltava, and Kryvyi Rih — all located around 100 kilometers (68 miles)
Ukraine wants to expand its shipping corridor, which contains only maritime traffic from the three main Odesa ports, to include the ports of Mykolaiv and Kherson in the country's south, Navy Commander Oleksii Neizhpapa told Reuters. However, it is not possible since Russia controls the Kinburn Spit, he added.
The Dutch defense minister did not disclose the exact date or other delivery details, citing "operational security" concerns.
House Democrats say in a letter obtained by Politico that Kyiv "will have more F-16 aircraft than they will have qualified pilots to fly them by the end of the year," which "threatens to undermine the strategic advantages" that these aircraft can provide to Ukraine.
Denmark will stop training Ukrainian F-16 pilots by the end of this year as the country transitions to operating F-35 fighter jets, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on June 24.
Romania's Mihai Kogalniceanu (MK) airbase, named after a nearby village honoring a 19th-century liberal politician, is set to become NATO's largest base in Europe, surpassing Ramstein in Germany.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, neighboring Slovakia, with its own experience of decades of Russian occupation in the 20th century, became one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine. Under the guidance of then-Defense Minister Jaroslav
Denmark on June 18 announced its 19th assistance package for Ukraine, including financial aid for Ukraine's defense industry, equipment for F-16 fighter jets, and donations from Danish military stocks.
The U.S. is "deliberately delaying" F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots, resulting in a situation where there will be "fewer trained pilots than fighter jets," Ukrainian MP Oleksandra Ustinova said to the Times in an article published on June 17.
With the gradual arrival of military aid, including the first batch of F-16 fighter jets, time will favor Ukraine, while Russia's chances of success will decrease, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on June 17.
The recent string of Ukrainian strikes against occupied Crimea may help degrade Russian air defenses in the area and decrease the threat to Ukrainian tactical aviation, said Federico Borsari, a Leonardo Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), in a comment for the Kyiv Independent on June 12.
The Netherlands will deliver its first F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine already this summer, shortly after Denmark, outgoing Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said in an interview with European Pravda published on June 12.
Key developments on June 10: * Ukraine hit Russian S-400, S-300 systems in occupied Crimea overnight, General Staff says * Ukraine refutes Kadyrov's claims about captured Sumy Oblast border village * Russia uses submarines to patrol Black Sea after naval losses, military says * Nearly 20,000 Wagner mercenaries died taking Bakhmut, media investigation
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American air superiority fighter that Kyiv has requested from its allies since the start of the full-scale invasion. Denmark and the Netherlands founded the "fighter jet coalition" for Ukraine on July 11, 2023 at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania with nine other countries: Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
These countries pledged to help provide Kyiv with F-16s and train Ukrainian pilots and technical staff to operate the jets. Washington gave its approval in August 2023 to the Netherlands and Denmark to donate their F-16s to Ukraine after training was complete, and agreed to start training Ukrainian pilots in Arizona from October 2023.
Kyiv has been promised 79 F-16s from the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Belgium, with the first 20 reportedly scheduled to arrive by the end of 2024. Belgium will supply Ukraine with 30 F-16 fighter jets by 2028.
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