Ukraine hopes to receive from partners about 40-50 modern F-16 fighters. This will allow forming three or four squadrons to protect the Ukrainian sky. Adviser to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Yurii Sak announced this, as quoted by Politico, RBC-Ukraine reports.
According to him, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants warplanes to be the main topic of the agenda at the G7 summit in Hiroshima, and then again at the annual NATO summit in Lithuania in July.
"The Ukrainian president received assurances from Western leaders during his last European tour that they will discuss this issue in the coming days," Sak said.
According to the publication, although Britain, Italy, France and Germany cannot offer F-16, Sak said that "they have an important voice in the international coalition," and Ukraine would like them to "encourage" allies such as the United States and Turkey.
"Ukraine wants a total of 40 to 50 F-16, having formed three or four squadrons to protect its skies from Russian bombing," Sak said.
He explained that the need for modern jets became more acute after the Russian Air Force began to widely use controlled gliding bombs in March, which reach targets over long distances.
"At the moment, Ukraine has nothing to stop Russian aircraft carrying them," Sak said.
According to him, everyone understands that the topic is overdue for discussion and no one said that this is impossible.
"Compared to three months ago, when we were still fighting for tanks, today everyone is talking about a coalition of fighters - this is a very promising sign. We understand that our air defense will not be complete without fighters, F-16," Sak emphasized.
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