The first batch of the long-awaited F-16 fighter jets has arrived in Ukraine, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielus Landsbergis said, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
F-16 fighter jets, which are manufactured by the company "Lockheed Martin", have long been requested by Ukraine due to their combat power and global availability.
The F-16 fighter has a 20mm cannon and can carry bombs and missiles.
F-16 fighters in Ukraine. Another impossible thing that turned out to be completely possible," Landsbergis said on the "X" social network.
Reuters notes that the Ukrainian Air Force did not immediately respond to the news agency's request for comment on this information.
Denmark has pledged to donate a total of 19 fighter jets to Ukraine, and the Netherlands has pledged to deliver 24. The two countries are the driving force behind an international coalition to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. Norway said it would donate six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Ukraine's Western allies have been training pilots and ground personnel to operate the fighter jets for months.
With the invasion of Russian forces in February 2022, Ukraine was forced to use its small air fleet of Soviet-era fighters. Ukrainian officials see the acquisition of F-16 fighter jets as a vital modernization of the Ukrainian air force, Reuters notes.