Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hands over the flag of a military unit on the occasion of Air Force Day against the backdrop of Ukrainian Air Force F-16 fighter jets at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024. | Photo credit: AP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday (August 27, 2024) that his troops are deployed F-16 fighter jets supplied by Western countries To shoot down drones and missiles fired by Russia in recent attacks.
Mr Zelensky announced earlier this month that Ukraine had received the first batch of fighter jets promised by the West, though he declined to say how many had been delivered.
“We have already destroyed some missiles and drones using F-16s,” Mr. Zelensky said in English at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday (August 27, 2024).
He said at the press conference that Ukraine still needs more jets.
He told media in May that Kiev needed at least 120 seats to achieve “parity” with Russia.
For more than two years Ukraine has been requesting the plane from its Western partners – long considered the crown jewel in a vast list of military hardware sought by Kiev.