Ukraine to Receive F-16 Jets This Summer, President Zelensky Says Strengthening Defenses But Numbers Not Enough

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky said the F-16 fighter jets that Ukraine will receive this summer from Western Allies will strengthen its defenses, but are not enough to match Russian air power.

Russian troops are advancing on the eastern front line with superior numbers and weapons.

Ukraine itself has been strengthening its defenses with the support of Western arms shipments in recent months, with F-16 fighter jets expected to follow soon.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would receive several fighter jets this summer and more before the end of the year. However, he said he could not say how many fighter jets would be received.

"The number will not be enough. They will certainly strengthen us, but will there be enough to fight on the same level with the Russian air force?" President Zelensky said, as reported by Reuters on July 16.

"I think the number will not be enough. We anticipate a larger number," President Zelensky continued.

Ukraine said it needs at least 128 F-16s. Kyiv has also stepped up its mobilization efforts to recruit more civilians into the armed forces.

President Zelensky said the military had told him that “everything is going according to plan” but that there was a need to expand training.

“As for the training facilities, there are not enough of them,” he said. “They are being expanded.”

Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the first batch of US-made F-16 fighter jets had been transferred to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands, set to fly this summer.

Speaking at an event on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Washington, D.C., Blinken said a robust package for Ukraine would be rolled out in the coming days that would build a clear and strong bridge to Ukraine’s membership in NATO.

“I am also pleased to announce that as we speak, the transfer of F-16 jets is underway, coming from Denmark, coming from the Netherlands,” Blinken said.

“And those jets will be flying in the skies over Ukraine this summer to ensure that Ukraine can continue to defend itself effectively against Russian aggression.” Strengthening air defenses is crucial for Ukraine as it fights off a Russian invasion. Moscow launched another airstrike on Ukraine’s national power grid in the spring, causing massive power outages.

Last week, US President Joe Biden’s adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed that the fighter jets transferred by Western allies would be based on Ukrainian territory.

“The F-16s will be based in Ukraine,” he said, according to TASS.

However, he did not provide details when asked whether the F-16s owned by Ukraine would take off from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) base when they would operate against Russia on the battlefield.

In addition, Sullivan also declined to say how many fighter jets would be transferred to Kyiv in total and when exactly they would begin combat missions.

"Those are things I can't say for operational reasons. What we are saying is that the transfer is underway, and that Ukrainian pilots will be operating on the battlefield this summer with F-16s," he said.