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By Matthew Impelli
Life & Trends Reporter
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Ukraine received its first delivery of F-16 fighter jets this week in a boost to President Volodymyr Zelensky's forces in its ongoing war with Russia, according to a new report.
On Wednesday, Bloomberg first reported that Ukraine received a delivery of F-16 fighter jets, citing anonymous sources with knowledge of the situation. Bloomberg also reported that it is currently unclear if Ukrainian pilots will be able to immediately use the planes as war with Russia rages on. A U.S. official also confirmed the delivery to the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry via email for comment.
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Zelensky and other Kyiv officials had long sought F-16s to bolster their defenses in the war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022. In May 2023, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that President Joe Biden "informed his G7 counterparts" that the U.S. would begin allowing allies to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, and several countries have since committed to providing the aircraft to Ukraine.
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While speaking at a press conference after the G7 Summit last year, Biden said he reached his decision to allow U.S. allies to supply Ukraine with F-16s after he received an assurance from Zelensky that the fighter jets would not be used to launch attacks on targets in Russia.
"I have a flat assurance from Zelensky that they will not, they will not use it to go on and move into Russian geographic territory," Biden said.
Earlier this month, Biden issued a joint statement along with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, where they spoke about the F-16 jets for Ukraine.
"The Danish and Dutch governments are in the process of donating American-made F-16s to Ukraine, with the support of the United States. The transfer process for these F-16s is now underway, and Ukraine will be flying operational F-16s this summer. We are unable to provide additional details at this time due to operational security concerns," the statement said. "We will continue to coordinate jointly in support of Ukraine's ability to defend itself against Russian aggression."
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Department of Defense via email for comment.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also made similar comments earlier this month saying that the F-16s would be "flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression."
In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded to the reports of F-16 deliveries to Ukraine saying that Moscow would perceive the delivery of the aircraft as a "signal action" by NATO "in the nuclear sphere."
Update, 7/31/24, 1:54 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.
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