Ukraine has received its first American-made F-16 fighter jets. Making the announcement, President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked allies and added that many more were needed. President Zelensky thanked Denmark, the Netherlands, the US and Ukraine’s other partners for accepting Kiev’s request for F-16s. He said, the Ukrainian pilots have already started using the F-16 aircraft. According to media reports Ukraine received the first 10 F-16 fighter jets on the last day of July. The local media reported that 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 aircraft. According to senior Ukrainian military officials, Ukraine is likely to keep few of the F-16 fighter jets at foreign bases to protect them from Russian strikes.

On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow could consider launching strikes at facilities in NATO countries if they host the warplanes used in Ukraine. The American-made F-16 is an iconic fighter jet that’s been the front-line combat plane of choice for the NATO alliance and numerous air forces around the world for 50 years. US President Joe Biden gave the go-ahead in August last year for used F-16s to be deployed to Ukraine, though the United Stated will not be providing any of its own planes.