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 new Ukrainian legion in Poland, Polish media reports
- Kyiv refutes Russia's claims of capturing village in Donetsk Oblast
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.
"Those jets will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against Russian aggression," Blinken said.
Ukraine was expected to receive the first F-16 jets this summer, a year after Denmark and the Netherlands founded the "fighter jet coalition" with nine other countries at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also confirmed the transfer of aircraft in a joint statement published on July 10.
The statement reiterated Blinken's comment that the transfer of the jets was underway and that Ukraine would be flying F-16s this summer, adding that they are "are unable to provide additional details at this time due to operational security concerns."
"We are committed to further enhancing Ukraine's air capabilities, which will include squadrons of modern fourth-generation F-16 multi-role aircraft," the statement read.
"The coalition intends to support their sustainment and armament, as well as further associated training for pilots to enhance operational effectiveness."
The Netherlands earlier pledged to deliver 24 of its fourth-generation U.S.-made jets to Ukraine, while Denmark confirmed sending 19 F-16 aircraft.
Both countries earlier announced that they would deliver the first batch of fighter jets this summer.
Former Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said last month that the Netherlands will deliver its first F-16 fighter jets "shortly after Denmark."
Kyiv also expects to receive the aircraft also from Belgium and Norway.
Norway announced on July 10 that it will donate six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, with the deliveries starting this year.
Chris York
NATO allies to announce $43 billion commitment to Ukraine for next year, White House says
NATO allies will announce their plans to provide Ukraine with a minimum baseline funding of 40 billion euros ($43 billion) for the next year at the Washington summit, the White House confirmed on July 10.
The nations aim to "provide sustainable levels of security assistance for Ukraine to prevail," the statement read.
NATO is also expected to announce a new military command in Germany to train and equip Ukrainian troops, as well as appoint a new NATO senior representative in Kyiv.
Ukraine has voiced hope that the NATO summit on July 9–11 will bring a more definite signal about its future membership in the alliance. American officials made it clear that the country is unlikely to receive an invitation during the conference.
Partners assured Kyiv that the event would define a specific position for Ukraine's membership in the alliance, namely its irreversibility and the roadmap toward it, said Olha Stefanishyna, the deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
On the first day of the summit, the U.S. and at least nine other NATO allies pledged to send "dozens" of air defense systems to Ukraine in the coming months, including at least four Patriot batteries.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has arrived in Washington, urged the U.S. to allow Ukraine to hit targets deep inside Russia, including military aircraft stationed in bases.
"And we can significantly limit Russian actions in southern Ukraine and push the occupier out of there if American leadership assists us with the necessary deep-strike capabilities against the Russian military and logistics in our Ukrainian Crimea," Zelensky said.
Chris York
New UK PM signals Ukraine can use Storm Shadow missiles to hit targets inside Russia
New U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer signaled that Ukraine could use Storm Shadow long-range missiles to hit military targets inside Russia, Bloomberg reported on July 10.
Starmer outlined his position, saying that it is up to Ukraine how to use British missiles. His remarks echoed the words of former U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron, indicating there will be no change of policy on the matter after Starmer's Labour Party won the elections last week.
Cameron said in early May that Kyiv had the right to use the weapons provided by London to strike targets on Russian soil. The Kyiv Independent's source in the president's office disputed the statement, saying that there was no green light from the U.K. at that time.
The missiles are "obviously to be used in accordance with international humanitarian law" and "for defensive purposes," but "it is for Ukraine to decide how to deploy (them) for those defensive purposes," the prime minister said during the NATO summit in Washington.
Ukraine has reportedly used U.K.-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, with a range of up to 250 kilometers (150 miles), to hit Russian military targets in Crimea, a sovereign Ukrainian territory illegally annexed by Russia.
When Russia launched its intensified offensive against Kharkiv Oblast in May, a number of countries said they had lifted restrictions on the use of Western-provided weapons against military targets inside Russia.
The U.S. granted Kyiv limited permission to use certain American weapons to strike Russian targets near the region's border.
President Volodymyr Zelensky keeps urging Washington to allow Ukraine to hit targets deep inside Russia, including military aircraft stationed on bases.
"And we can significantly limit Russian actions in southern Ukraine and push the occupier out of there if American leadership assists us with the necessary deep-strike capabilities against the Russian military and logistics in our Ukrainian Crimea," he said on July 10.
Olena Goncharova
Hundreds want to join new Ukrainian legion in Poland, Polish media reports
Hundreds of Ukrainians in Poland have expressed interest in joining a new legion of Ukraine's army that will be trained in Poland, just days after President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the plans, Polish news outlet RMF reported on July 10.
RMF said that "hundreds of Ukrainians living in Poland have already expressed their willingness to join the Ukrainian legion," citing an unofficial source in one of Ukraine's diplomatic missions.
"These people have applied, even though the recruitment for this formation has not yet been announced," RMF said.
The legion was officially announced as part of the security agreement signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on July 8, which laid out further developments in political, economic, and military cooperation between Ukraine and Poland.
Unlike other specific legions in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, such as the Georgian Legion, the Freedom of Russia Legion, and the Belarusian Pahonia Regiment, the legion will be made up of Ukrainians.
"The Ukrainian legion will train in Poland and be equipped with the help of our partners," Zelensky said.
"Every Ukrainian citizen who decides to join the legion will be able to sign a contract with the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Zelensky said, adding that "our teams are currently working out all the details."
Preliminary estimates suggest that "several thousand" Ukrainians may request to join the legion, and the opportunity to apply may be opened to Ukrainians living in other European countries, RMF said.
"Efforts are underway to have other EU countries participate in the costs of training and equipment," as Warsaw is convinced that "training the Ukrainian legion is also an investment in European security," RMF said.
The legion would most likely be trained in military bases that have already been instructing Ukrainian soldiers, as around 20,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained in Poland since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, RMF said.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on May 31 that Warsaw considered Ukraine's request for military instructors to be sent to Ukraine, but "came to the conclusion that it would be both safer and more effective to train a Ukrainian unit formed of Ukrainians in Poland."
Sikorski said in April that forcibly returning men of draft age to Ukraine is "ethically ambiguous" and Ukraine, rather than Poland, will have to "take the initiative" in the process.
Elsa Court
Kyiv refutes Russia's claims of capturing village in Donetsk Oblast
Ukraine controls the situation near the village of Yasnobrodivka in Donetsk Oblast, Lieutenant Colonel Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces, told the Kyiv Independent on July 10.
The statement comes after the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on July 9 that its forces had captured Yasnobrodivka, a front-line village located some 45 kilometers (27 miles) from the town of Pokrovsk.
Voloshyn dismissed these claims, saying, "This is another Russian lie. Defense forces control the situation near this village."
Moscow's forces suffered some 274 casualties in this sector, according to Voloshyn. Ukraine also reportedly destroyed two cannons, a mortar, and eight vehicles and damaged other equipment.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
Russia is carrying out intense attacks in multiple sections of the eastern front, including in Donetsk Oblast, after it captured the city of Avdiivka in February.
Earlier in July, Ukrainian troops withdrew from the Kanal neighborhood of the embattled town of Chasiv Yar in the region.
Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on July 2 that fighting had been particularly intense in recent weeks around the town of Toretsk, located some 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of Chasiv Yar.
Chris York
