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President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Aug. 4 that the first batch of F-16s had arrived in Ukraine and that the jets are already being used by Ukrainian pilots.
"I am proud of all our guys who master these planes and have already started using them for our state," Zelensky captioned a post on social media that showed the planes in an undisclosed location in Ukraine.
Zelensky gave a speech and presented state awards on the occasion of Ukrainian Air Force Day, which is marked annually on Aug. 4.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine "held hundreds of meetings and negotiations" since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion to strengthen its air force.
While Kyiv often heard the word "impossible" in response to its requests from partners, "we have made possible what was our ambition," Zelensky said. "Now it is indeed a reality, a reality in our sky. F-16s in Ukraine."
"I thank all the partners who are really helping with the F-16 and the first countries that accepted our request for aircraft - Denmark, the Netherlands, the United States."
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American air superiority fighter that Kyiv has requested from its partners since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Kyiv finally received a number of F-16s a year after the launch of the Danish-Dutch-led "fighter jet coalition" at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023.
Kyiv has been promised at least 79 F-16s from the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Belgium.
The Times reported on Aug. 1 that the first batch of planes included six jets provided by the Netherlands, while the Economist reported on Aug. 4 that Ukraine received 10 F-16 jets at the end of July.
Chris York
"The F-16s' arrival marks the start of building a NATO-standard air force," the Economist said.
Although some defense experts do not expect F-16s to become game-changers in the war, the jets may strengthen Ukraine's air defense capabilities and shield the country's population centers from Russia's daily bombardments.
Navy Commander Oleksii Neizhpapa said that the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine would also challenge Russia's "full dominance" of the skies over the Black Sea.
Denmark and the Netherlands indicated that they would allow Ukraine to strike with F-16s inside Russia, although Copenhagen said that such a move would "depend on the circumstances."
Belgium said that its F-16s are intended only for use on Ukrainian territory.
