Ukraine has already received the first batch of F-16 fighters as part of Western defence assistance. Their number has not yet been specified.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis announced this on Twitter (X).
The Lithuanian official noted that such support, through the transfer of the corresponding long-awaited aircraft to the Ukrainian side from the partners, previously seemed supposedly impossible.
“F-16 in Ukraine. Another impossible thing turned out to be quite possible,” Landsbergis said in the publication.
However, a US official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that the delivery of the fighter jets had been completed.
The Western news agency also adds that the Ukrainian Air Force did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
The Associated Press also writes that the first F-16 fighters have already been received by Ukraine. The US news agency clarifies that this information was confirmed to it by a Ukrainian diplomat and an American official representative, also on condition of anonymity.
As the AP notes, citing a Ukrainian deputy, Kyiv received a small number of F-16 fighters.
Thus, it remains unclear how many fighters have already been provided to Ukraine as part of the first tranche, and from which countries exactly.