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Ukraine gets first F-16 fighter jets from NATO members — Bloomberg

According to the news agency, "the number of jets is small"

© Omar Marques/ Getty Images

NEW YORK, July 31. /TASS/. The first batch of F-16 fighter jets supplied by NATO members has arrived in Ukraine, Bloomberg said citing sources.

According to the news agency, "the number of jets is small." The sources added that it was not clear whether Ukrainian pilots, who have trained in the West in the past months, will "immediately use the warplanes or the process will take longer."

Bloomberg does not elaborate on the exact number of the fighter jets and the names of the countries that have sent them to Kiev. The news agency said that the transfer of F-16s was "a long-awaited move" which took more than a year to complete.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky complained that the F-16s promised to Kiev by Western countries had still not arrived. On July 10, the White House released a joint statement by the leaders of Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States on the plans to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. US President Joe Biden said that "we’re working with our NATO Allies to ensure Ukraine is flying F-16s this summer." Later, Zelensky informed about an agreement with Poland which, as he claimed, would speed up the delivery of these fighter jets to Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that the deliveries of new weapons and equipment, including F-16s, to Ukraine would not reverse the situation on the frontlines, but will result in the protraction of the conflict. He also pointed out that if supplied to Ukraine, the F-16 fighter jets will burn exactly like any other military equipment, which is hyped by the West, does.

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