By Anastasiia Malenko
(Reuters) – Ukrainian pilots have started flying F-16 fighter jets for operations within the country, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday, confirming the long-awaited arrival of the U.S.-made fighters more than 29 months since Russia’s invasion.
The Ukrainian leader announced the use of F-16s, which Kiev has long lobbied for, as he met with military pilots at an air base flanked by two of the jets, with two more flying overhead.
“The F-16s are in Ukraine. We did it. I’m proud of our guys who are mastering these jets and have already started using them in our country,” Zelenskiy said in a location that officials asked Reuters not to disclose for reasons of security.
The arrival of the jets is a milestone for Ukraine after many months of waiting, although it is not yet clear how many are available and what impact they will have on strengthening air defenses and on the battlefield.
Russia has been targeting bases that could house them and has vowed to take them down so they have no impact on the war.
Built by Lockheed Martin, F-16s had long been on Ukraine’s wish list due to their destructive power and global availability. They are equipped with a 20 mm cannon and can carry bombs, rockets and missiles.
Talking to reporters on the tarmac of an airfield, Zelenskiy said Ukraine does not yet have enough trained pilots to use the F-16s or the jets themselves.
“The positive side is we expect more F-16s… a lot of guys are training now,” he said.
It was important, he said, that Kiev’s allies find ways to expand training programs and opportunities for both Ukrainian pilots and engineering teams.
‘NEW AVIATION STANDARD’
Ukraine previously relied on an aging fleet of Soviet-era warplanes, outgunned by Russia’s more advanced and much larger fleet.
Russia has used this advantage to carry out regular long-range missile strikes against targets across Ukraine and also to attack Ukrainian front-line positions with thousands of guided bombs, supporting its slowly advancing forces in the east.
“This is the new stage of development of the air force of the Ukrainian armed forces,” Zelenskiy said.
“We did a lot for Ukrainian forces to transition to a new aviation standard, Western combat aviation,” he added, citing hundreds of meetings and tireless diplomacy to obtain the F-16s.
“We often hear ‘it’s impossible’ as an answer, but we still make our ambition, our defensive need possible,” he said.
It is not yet clear which missiles the jets are equipped with. A greater range of the missiles would allow them to have a greater impact on the battlefield, military analysts say.
Zelenskiy said he also hopes to lobby allied neighboring countries to help intercept Russian missiles launched at Ukraine through talks on the Ukraine-NATO Council platform.
“This is another tool, and I want to try it, so that NATO countries can talk to Ukraine about the possibility of a small coalition of neighboring countries shooting down enemy missiles,” he said.
“I think this decision is probably difficult for our partners, they are always afraid of excessive escalation, but we are fighting against it.”
(Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
