Belgium to supply 30 F-16s to Ukraine by 2028

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said her country would supply Ukraine with 30 F-16 fighter jets by 2028.

According to RTL, Lahbib said that Belgium would offer Ukraine 30 of its F-16 fighter jets by 2028, and the first aircraft should be delivered "by the end of this year."

She indicated that this commitment would be formalised in an agreement to be signed on Tuesday, 28 May in Brussels on the occasion of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the Belgian capital.

The Belgian Defence Ministry will also obtain ammunition from its stockpile to equip F-16 fighter jets destined for Ukraine.

Lahbib said that such support for Kyiv is necessary to stop Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who, in her opinion, intends to push back the borders of European countries.

"If we allow Putin to follow his path, this is not an impossible scenario," she said in response to a question about whether Russian tanks could one day invade Brussels.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Belgium on Tuesday, 28 May to sign a security agreement with Prime Minister Alexander De Kroo.

It was reported earlier that Ukraine and Belgium had started negotiations on a security cooperation agreement.

Prior to that, it was reported that the Belgian government had decided to accelerate the supply of its own F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and do so by the end of 2024, without waiting for the formation of a new cabinet.

Belgium is one of thirteen countries participating in the coalition to provide Ukraine with fighter jets. It had previously planned to start delivering these F-16s, which it is gradually replacing with more modern F-35s, in 2025.