MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Belgium has given Ukraine none of the 30 F-16 fighter jets it promised back in 2024 due to delays in F-35 deliveries, Belgian Air Force Commander Geert De Decker said, citing the need to maintain air force capabilities.
In 2024, then-Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo promised Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Brussels would transfer 30 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, with the first four aircraft planned for delivery by the end of 2024.
"From the very beginning, the Ministry of Defense stated that the operational needs of the Belgian Air Force must be prioritized… It was always clear that our own operational readiness had to be ensured," the general was quoted as saying by the VRT broadcaster.