Belgium has pledged to dispatch 30 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by 2028, marking a significant contribution to Kyiv’s defense capabilities as it continues to resist Russia’s invasion. This commitment is part of a broader bilateral security agreement signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo during a high-level meeting in Brussels.
The accord encompasses at least €977 million in Belgian military aid for Ukraine this year, with a promise to maintain support over a ten-year span. The Ukrainian leader jetted into Brussels from Spain late on Monday as part of a whistlestop tour to several European countries in a bid to rally support for Kyiv.
Ukraine will receive its first supplies of F-16 fighter jets “very soon”, but around half of its desperately needed foreign military aid is arriving late, Kyiv’s defence minister has said. Rustem Umerov, 42, told Reuters in an interview in Kyiv late on Monday that Russia was deploying more manpower and equipment to the front, more than 27 months after its full-scale invasion.
Belgium’s commitment to Ukraine is coupled with a wider range of support including modern armored vehicles, air force equipment, naval security, mine clearance, and military training.
Despite these support initiatives, Belgium has set conditions on the use of the F-16 jets: Don’t fly them in Russian territory. Prime Minister De Croo underscored this restriction “On … utilization of weapons, everything which is covered by this agreement is very clear, it is for utilization by the Ukraine Defense Forces on Ukraine[’s] territory.”
The Dutch have launched an initiative to expedite the assembly and delivery of patriot missiles to Ukraine, the defence minister Kajsa Ollongren has announced. Ukraine has been asking for air to defence rockets for months but member states up have been hesitant to release batteries from their own defence arsenals despite recent change of advice from Nato that their security is best served by having their machinery on the frontline.
Sweden is pausing plans to send Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine in order to allow for the introduction of F-16 fighter jets, the Swedish defence minister told news agency TT in Brussels. “We have been urged by the other countries in the coalition to wait with the Gripen system,” Pal Jonson told TT. “This has to do with the fact that the focus is now on introducing the F-16 system,” he added.
F-16 jets have been a top political priority for Zelenskyy, as the modern combat aircraft is seen as a key to further air defense against Russia. He also emphasized the importance of U.S. President Joe Biden’s presence at the upcoming peace summit in Switzerland, suggesting that Putin would benefit from Biden’s absence.
Relevant articles:
– Belgium pledges 30 F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine with near €1bn in military aid – as it happens , The Guardian, 05/28/2024
– Belgium Commits to Deliver 30 F-16 Jets to Kyiv by 2028, The Defense Post, 05/28/2024
– Belgium to deliver first F-16s to Ukraine this year — with strings attached, POLITICO Europe, 05/28/2024
– Ukraine updates: Belgium to deliver 30 F, DW (English), 05/28/2024
– 16s, can use them only within Ukraine, Euromaidan Press, 05/28/2024
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