F-16 jets being sent to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands: Blinken

WASHINGTON: The first batch of US-built F-16 fighter jets are already being transferred to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands and will be flying over Ukrainian skies this summer, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

Blinken, speaking at an event on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington, said a robust package for Ukraine will be unveiled over the next couple of days that will build a clear and strong bridge for Ukraine’s NATO membership.

“I’m also pleased to announce that as we speak, the transfer of F-16 jets is underway, coming from Denmark, coming from the Netherlands,” Blinken said.

“And those jets…will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression.”

Reinforcing air defenses has been crucial for Ukraine as it fights a Russian invasion. Moscow renewed its aerial assaults on Ukraine’s national power grid in the spring, causing sweeping blackouts.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said last week that he wanted to double Ukraine’s air defence capacity over the summer and that his country needed at least seven additional Patriot systems to protect itself.

NATO members have announced the delivery of five additional Patriot and other strategic air defense systems to help Ukraine. Still more aid announcements were expected at this week’s summit in Washington, which marks the alliance’s 75th anniversary.

A joint statement from the leaders of the United States, Denmark and the Netherlands said the Danish and Dutch governments were in the process of donating American-made F-16s to Ukraine, with the support of the United States.

“We are grateful to Belgium and Norway for committing to provide further aircraft, and to the other members of the Air Force Capability Coalition for their support,” the statement said, adding that the group was committed to further enhancing Ukraine’s air capabilities.

Zelenskiy on Capitol Hill

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to meet with leaders of the US Senate and House of Representatives and some of the committees involved in defense, spending, diplomacy and national security who will vote on future aid for his country.

He is expected to thank them for $175 billion already approved since Russia invaded in February 2022 and to call for more.

Reuters reported last month that two Trump advisers had presented Zelenskiy with a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine – if Trump wins the election – that involves telling Kyiv it will get more US weapons only if it enters peace talks.

Any such talks appear a long way off. In a speech in Washington on Tuesday evening, Zelenskiy said the losses from the war were “difficult” and that seeing dead children “you want to kill Putin at this moment.”

In Congress, dozens of Trump’s closest allies have voted repeatedly against assisting Zelenskiy’s government, although Democrats and more internationally focused Republicans have worked together to approve the existing aid levels.

A senior NATO official said this week that Russia lacks the munitions and troops to start a major offensive in Ukraine, but that it could sustain its war economy for three to four more years. Ukraine also has not yet amassed the munitions and personnel it needs to mount its own large-scale offensive operations, the official said.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Biden is expected to meet new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for their first face-to-face talks since Starmer’s Labour Party won a landslide election victory that ended 14 years of Conservative rule. The countries are key trans-Atlantic allies.

Biden will host a dinner for NATO heads of state and government on Wednesday, an event that would not normally draw attention but has come into focus given concerns over whether he could handle the demands of the presidency for another four years.