The Biden administration confirmed on Wednesday that the first Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Denmark are now being transferred to Ukraine.
“We, the co-leaders of the Air Force Capability Coalition for Ukraine, have been working to provide operational F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine,” the White House said.
The United States once again promised that the combat aircraft will be operational by the summer, but declined to provide further details on how many planes are being delivered or where they are “due to operational security concerns.”
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“We are grateful to Belgium and Norway for committing to provide further aircraft, and to the other members of the Air Force Capability Coalition for their support,” the statement added.
In a parallel event to the NATO summit in Washington, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed the deployment of F-16s and announced a new military aid package for Ukraine in the coming days.
The transfer of around 80 fighters is expected, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is negotiating at least 145 aircraft.
The Netherlands is expected to transfer 24 jets, Denmark, 19, Norway another six and Belgium, 30 aircraft.
