We may send several F-16s to Ukraine in 2025 — Belgian Defense Minister

On October 11, Ludivine Dedonder announces that several Belgian F-16 jet fighters may be sent to Ukraine in 2025 "depending on the increase in capacity of our new F-35s," the Belgian RTL media reports.

The final decision on this is still to be made by the federal government.

"Belgian personnel will train Ukrainian pilots in Belgium, Denmark, and another EU country. We are in the process of giving Ukraine the opportunity to modernize its armed forces. And I think that our offer here is fundamental and much better than just announcing the delivery of a few F-16s," the minister adds.

Earlier, the Chief of the Staff of the Belgian Armed Forces, Michel Hofman, said that the country would be unable to supply Ukraine with any F-16s as they were required for the defence of Belgian airspace and for NATO missions to secure the airspace on the EU's eastern border in the Baltic States.

It will be recalled that at the end of August 2023, Denmark announced that it would provide Ukraine with 19 F-16 fighter jets.