Belgium will supply 30 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine before 2028 Belgian foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib (Francophone liberal/MR) has confirmed. The announcement comes as Belgium welcomes Ukrainian President Zelensky to the country today. Mr Zelensky is expected to ask for additional support for his country in the war against Russia. The first aircraft will be delivered by the end of this year.
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President Zelensky visits Belgium, Ukraine to receive 30 F-16 fighter-jets before 2028 says foreign minister
Colin Clapson
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Belgium announced it would deliver 4 F-16s to Ukraine a while ago. But that number has now been clarified and increased.
According to foreign minisyer Lahbib Belgium plans to deliver no fewer than 30 F-16 fighter jets by 2028, though the delivery is linked to the delivery of Joint Strike Fighters (F-35s) to Belgium.
Zelensky visits Belgium
A meeting between Mr Zelensky and Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Flemish liberal/Open VLD) had been scheduled for some time after previous visits were postponed. The Ukrainian president landed in Belgium yesterday evening. Today the two leaders will discuss Belgium's military support to Ukraine and the signing of a bilateral security agreement.
Later today, Mr Zelensky is also expected at the palace to meet the king. Mr De Croo and defence minister Ludivine Dedonder (Francophone socialist/PS) will provide further information about the delivery of the F-16 fighter jets in the afternoon.
It is already the fourth time Mr Zelensky has visited Brussels. During previous visits he addressed the Belgian and European Parliaments and met with King Filip and Prime Minister De Croo. Mr Zelensky's last visit to Brussels dates from last autumn Then he was a guest at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
How can F-16s make a difference in war?
According to VRT’s Russia expert Jan Balliauw the delivery of fighter jets won’t form a turning point in the war. "You do give Ukraine more resources to counter Russian offensives. For example, those F-16s can provide air support to Ukrainian troops, shoot down the planes carrying destructive Russian bombs and fire missiles themselves."
"But the F-16 is not a new aircraft, it is an old aircraft that has already undergone several innovations. For example, it is not capable of evading Russia's sophisticated air defences. The Ukrainian military will have to think carefully about how they deploy the aircraft."