In Ukraine, President Zelensky confirmed what had been said all week: some F-16 fighter jets have arrived and are already operational, a relief for kyiv, but also questions.
1 min
With our correspondent in kyiv, Emmanuelle Chaze
It is confirmed that some of the F-16s that Ukraine has been waiting for are already flying in Ukrainian skies. According to media reports, about ten aircraft have been delivered to kyiv.
After Volodymyr Zelensky, it is the commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky who confirmed it, indicating that this arrival meant more Russian planes and missiles destroyed.
In fact, the F-16s are helping the Ukrainian air force modernize, but it will need more than just this handful of planes to hope to make a difference on the ground.
According to kyiv, Ukraine would need at least 130 combat aircraft to effectively confront the Russian adversary, almost double the seventy-nine F-16s promised by Ukraine’s allies.
In addition to strengthening its air defense, Ukraine also hopes to use the F-16s in an offensive role, for example by attacking Russian infrastructure and equipment. But for this to be effective, Kiev lacks several things: enough foreign-trained pilots and U.S. authorization to strike deep into Russian territory and Russian infrastructure, including the air bases from which Russian planes continue to bomb Ukraine.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: “Russians are taking advantage of gaps in Ukrainian lines”