Ukraine expected its military effort to be boosted by the arrival of F-16s promised by allies this summer, but while Ukraine has yet to see them, stated President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
“It’s been 18 months, and the planes haven’t reached us,” he said in an interview with the BBC, adding that he is grateful for what has already been given to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy stressed that the new fighter jets are needed to help Ukrainians defeat Russia’s dominance in the air and unblock the skies.
Earlier, Zelenskyi said that Ukraine needs at least 128 F-16 fighter jets to create effective competition for Russia in the skies.
“We had a decision about 10-20. Even if it is 50, it is nothing. We are defending ourselves, we need 128. This is the fleet,” Zelenskyy said at the Ronald Reagan Institute in Washington.
