The key facts

  • Belgium will deliver 10 F-16s to Ukraine this year, Prime Minister Bart De Wever said
  • Delivery delays were caused by F-35 delays, which have now begun to arrive
  • Ammunition supplies, including products from FN Herstal, and financing for Ukraine were discussed

Commitment on fighter jet deliveries

Belgium will deliver ten F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine in the current year, the country's Prime Minister Bart De Wever said. He spoke at a press conference after the first day of the EU summit in Brussels, where he held a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dedicated to Ukraine's military needs.

Reasons for the delay

“We will deliver 10 this year. We have fallen a bit behind due to delays with the F-35s, but they are now starting to arrive, which will allow us to send the F-16s to Ukraine,” De Wever said. He emphasized that Ukraine urgently needs combat-ready fighter jets, calling the F-16 one of the few types of weapons capable of effectively defending against “Russia's jet-powered drones.”

Ammunition and financing

The leaders also discussed the possibility of Belgium supplying ammunition for the F-16s, including products of the Belgian defense company FN Herstal. The parties also talked about Ukraine's financing needs, but De Wever did not elaborate on the question of using frozen Russian assets, held mostly in Belgium's Euroclear. Earlier, Belgium opposed the proposal to use these assets to finance a loan for Ukraine's reconstruction, citing potential legal and financial risks.