Zelenskyy: Ukraine does not have enough F-16 fighter jets to ensure air security

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO - 22 August, 16:48

Zelenskyy in front of an F-16 aircraft in Denmark. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Ukraine needs more fighter jets to ensure security in its airspace.

Source: Zelenskyy during a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Kyiv on 22 August, as cited by Radio Liberty

Details: Speaking about security guarantees, Zelenskyy stressed that they depend on Ukrainian partners’ capabilities and the needs of its forces.

Quote: "I’ll explain how complicated it is with one example – when we talk about aircraft, F-16s. We are very grateful to all our partners for the coordination and for the fact that we have this kind of air fleet or at least the beginning of one. We do not have all the aircraft we need. These aircraft are not enough to guarantee our security in the sky."

Details: Zelenskyy did not specify how many additional aircraft are required. He noted that Ukraine’s partners agree on the need for an air fleet, but in addition to political will and production capacity, providing fighter jets requires funding.

"That is why, when we talk about security guarantees – everything is complicated because of such details. Clearly, all of them are being discussed, all of them matter," the president added.

Background:

In June 2025, Colonel Yurii Ihnat, Head of the Communications Department of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda said that Ukraine needs about 200 aircraft of various types to repel Russian aggression effectively.
Even before Ukraine received F-16 fighter jets, Ihnat noted that Ukraine needed up to 200 multipurpose aircraft to defend its skies.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has asked the West to provide modern F-16 fighter jets. In 2023, several countries, with US approval, decided to transfer such jets to Kyiv.
In August 2023, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine had agreements concerning the supply of about 50 F-16 fighter jets, but that around 160 were needed to defend its skies.
The first F-16s arrived in Ukraine in early August 2024.

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