Belgium will provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets by the end of this year, and is also preparing a new assistance package and a contribution to the Priority Ukraine Returns List (PURL) program, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced following a conversation with Prime Minister of Belgium Bart De Wever regarding support for Ukraine’s defense.
"Belgium is preparing a new significant assistance package and a contribution to the PURL program. We also discussed the schedule for the delivery of F-16 fighter jets. The first arrivals will be this year. This kind of help with protecting the skies is what is needed most right now," Zelenskyy, who is currently on a visit to Belgium, wrote on Telegram.
He also informed the Prime Minister about the meetings and agreements at the G7 summit, which took place on June 15-17 in France, as well as diplomatic contacts to end the war. "It is truly important that the pressure on Russia continues to increase. We also discussed Ukraine’s European integration," Zelenskyy added.
As reported, Belgium decided to transfer more F-16 fighter aircraft to the Armed Forces of Ukraine than previously promised. "We are strengthening assistance to Ukraine. We will hand over seven F-16s this year, four of them for spare parts, three ready to perform missions in the skies of Ukraine, protecting Ukraine from Russian aggression," the Belgian Defense Minister stated before the start of the NATO ministerial meeting on Thursday.
Previously, Belgium promised to transfer only four malfunctioning aircraft to Ukraine in 2025-26 as spare part donors.
The Minister also announced plans to eventually transfer all F-16s currently in service with the Belgian Air Force (over 40) to Ukraine after receiving new F-35s.
