President Zelensky said that the commitment to provide F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands made him confident that Ukraine could win.
"We can be confident that Russia will fail. I am sure that Ukraine will win," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told a crowd of supporters in front of the Danish parliament building today, referring to the decision to provide F-16 fighter jets to Kiev announced by Copenhagen a day earlier.
Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin said on the same day that supplying F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine would further escalate the conflict. "Under the pretext that Kiev must decide on the terms of peace, Denmark's actions and statements leave Ukraine with no choice but to continue military confrontation with Russia," he said.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced on August 20 that her country will transfer 19 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The first six will be delivered to Ukraine on New Year's Day, followed by eight in 2024 and five in 2025.
President Zelensky next to an F-16 fighter jet at Denmark's Skrydstrup base on August 20. Photo: AFP
Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said Ukraine would only be allowed to use the F-16s on its own territory. "We provide these weapons on the condition that they only use them to push the enemy away from Ukrainian territory, and not further. These conditions apply to all equipment, including tanks and fighter jets," he said.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte also announced that an unspecified number of F-16 fighters would be provided to Ukraine once the transfer conditions were met. The Netherlands currently has a total of 42 US-made F-16 fighters, but it is unclear how many are operational.
Observers say this is the first real commitment by allies to transfer F-16 fighters to the Ukrainian armed forces.
NATO members Denmark and the Netherlands are leading international efforts to train pilots and support staff, maintain and eventually help Ukraine acquire F-16s. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent a letter to his Danish and Dutch counterparts on August 17 to assure them that requests to transfer F-16 fighters to Ukraine would be approved.
Two Ukrainian officials said last week that only six pilots, or half an air regiment, are eligible for F-16 training. The training, which is expected to take at least six months, will not begin until January 2024.
General James Hecker, commander of the US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), said that receiving F-16 fighters does not mean that the Ukrainian Air Force is ready for combat. The US general also admitted that the F-16 meets some of Ukraine's operational requirements, but is not a "silver bullet" capable of changing the situation on the battlefield.
"It will take more time to build several F-16 squadrons, ensuring that the Ukrainian air force is capable of operating smoothly and mastering the equipment. This could take 4-5 years," he said.
Vu Anh (According to Reuters )
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