(Bloomberg) -- Ukraine’s president hailed a new era for the country’s military as he showcased a pair of Western warplanes flying near Kyiv, proof that the long-awaited jets have finally arrived.
Two F-16s zoomed overhead while reporters toured an air base on the outskirts of the country’s capital on Sunday as Ukraine marked its annual Air Force Day. The jets provided by Ukraine’s allies flew alongside Soviet-made Mig-29 and Su-27 planes.
“Our guys are already using them for Ukraine,” Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. He declined to elaborate on how many jets have arrived and which tasks their pilots are currently fulfilling.
The number of Western jets delivered so far “isn’t enough,” Zelenskiy added, as he urged partners to expand the training program for pilots and engineers. He also reiterated the call for the provision of more advanced air defense systems.
Ukraine is still unable to defend all of its territory from Russian missile attacks, even as its “air shield” has become one of the strongest in Europe, Zelenskiy said.
Ukraine received the first delivery of American-built F-16 fighter jets from NATO partners last week after more than a year of talks, pledges and preparation. Zelenskiy repeatedly asked his nation’s allies for modern warplanes to help Ukraine offset Moscow’s air superiority.
The arrival of the F-16s comes at a time when fighting has become deadlocked along a 1,270-kilometer (790-mile) front line in Ukraine’s east and southeast, with neither side able to achieve significant territorial gains.
Russian and Ukrainian forces also trade regular drone and missile strikes, even as Kyiv’s ability to hit deep inside Russian territory with Western weapons remains limited by restrictions from its partners.
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