Ukraine receives first F-16 fighter jets - Zelensky
More F-16s are expected and hoped in the months ahead, though Mr Zelensky admitted that Ukraine does not yet have enough trained pilots to fly them all.
Ukraine has received its first American-made F-16 fighter jets, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
"F-16 in Ukraine. We did it," President Zelensky said at a ceremony at an unnamed airbase - though he added that more were needed.
Ukraine’s leader thanked allies for what they were once very hesitant to provide.
The arrival of the jets marks a crucial milestone in boosting the capabilities of Ukraine's air force, which largely relies on old Soviet-era jets.
More F-16s are expected and hoped in the months ahead, though Mr Zelensky admitted that Ukraine does not yet have enough trained pilots to fly them all.
He did not specify how many aircraft had arrived in Ukraine - or whether they had all been sent by Denmark, the Netherlands and the US, which he specifically thanked.
Around 65 F-16s have been pledged by Nato countries since US President Joe Biden first authorised willing European allies to send them to Ukraine in August 2023.
The UK does not have any F-16s in its air force, though it is supplying long-range Storm Shadow missiles which can be fitted to the jets.
The F-16 was introduced in 1978. Many Western militaries are in the process of retiring the ageing fighters, replacing them with the US-made F-35, introduced in 2015.
