According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his country needs more combat aircraft than partner countries have committed to so far. This came in an interview with Portuguese radio RTP. Fifty to sixty F-16s have been promised so far. But Zelensky says, “In all, we need about 160 combat aircraft for a strong air force that can deny Russia dominance in the sky.”
The promised F-16s come from the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. The Netherlands has 42 countries you may be able to go to Kiev, Denmark nineteen and Norway twelve. It is unclear exactly how much each country will give. There are more NATO member countries that are currently replacing the F-16s with the more modern F-35s, and thus could send the older aircraft to Ukraine.
Zelensky said he expected the promised fighter jets to be deployed in Ukraine “early next year”. However, the way there is complicated, because not only pilots must be trained, but also maintenance personnel.
The Ukrainian president stressed that his country will not use warplanes to attack Russian territory. “We are fighting for our Ukrainian country, against the Russian invasion. We just need fighter jets to defend ourselves. To defend our land, sea and air.
