Volodymyr Zelensky confirms the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from NATO allied countries, and this is because after more than 1 year of requests to send them to the country attacked by Russia, this will finally be achieved, even if Is it very difficult.
Volodymyr Zelensky also confirms that Ukrainian pilots will be trained by NATO allied countries to be able to fly F-16 planes, but the maintenance cannot be carried out in the country, and it is not known if they will be able to be accommodated at local airports.
"Today we held the first meeting of the General Headquarters after all the visits, meetings and important decisions - defense decisions that we have been working on for a long time, and now we receive them in cooperation with partners. First of all, this concerns the aviation coalition – a coalition of modern fighters for Ukraine.
We are doing everything to shorten the time to the result, to the appearance of new and powerful aircraft with Ukrainian pilots in the Ukrainian sky. It is clear that this global step will allow us to expand our defense capabilities. Because only with powerful planes does the air defense system become complete.
And on the other hand, the first Ukrainian F-16 will be one of the strongest signals in the world that Russia will lose only because of its own aggression - it will be weaker, it will become even more isolated.
This will be a signal that Russian terror has lost and our world, which is based on respect for independent nations and the right of peoples to choose their own path, has survived.
We will prepare all the necessary bases for such an air transition of ours to take place as quickly and efficiently as possible. Our soldiers have already proven that they can master modern weapons so effectively that we were not even expected.
With airplanes, I'm sure, it will be just as successful. The main thing is the speed of training and supply, that is, the time that will pass between decisions and the actual protection of our sky.
The peace of our parents' generation is the peace left to them by those who defeated the penultimate major aggression in Europe. And the peace of your children's generation is the peace we are winning right now in the battles against the latest aggression in Europe."
