Ukraine handed F-16 stipulation from NATO ally

Belgium’s promise to deliver dozens of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine amid its ongoing war with Russia has arrived with an important stipulation that may limit the use of the aircraft.

Last year, Belgium became one of four NATO ally countries, along with Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands, to announce that it would be sending Ukraine an unspecified number of donated U.S.-made jets.

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said on Tuesday that 30 of the aircraft were headed to Kyiv, with delivery of the first batch expected “by the end of the year.” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo later mandated that the jets only be used within Ukrainian territory.

“Everything which is covered by this agreement is very clear: it is for utilization by the Ukrainian defense forces on Ukraine territory,” De Croo said during a joint press conference announcing a $1 billion, 10-year military aid commitment with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday.

De Croo’s remarks were made “in response to a journalist’s question about whether Ukraine will be able to use Belgian F-16 jets to down Russian planes in Russian airspace,” according to The Kyiv Independent.

It was unclear whether or not the Belgian policy allows for the jets to be used in occupied Ukrainian territory that Russia claims to have annexed, such as the Crimean peninsula.

Newsweek reached out for comment to the Ukrainian military via email on Tuesday night.

Over the course of the Russia-Ukraine war, Zelensky and his government have repeatedly lobbied western allies to supply F-16 jets as a much-needed update to Kyiv’s aging air fleet, which has largely operated Soviet-era MiG aircraft that are no match for the more modern jets that Russia is currently using.

Zelensky said earlier this month that the Ukrainian Air Force, which has taken heavy damages during the more than two-year war, needed allies to supply between 120 and 130 F-16s to fend off Russia’s fleet. A far smaller number of jets has been promised so far.

Deliveries of the jets from the Netherlands and other donor countries have been delayed multiple times. The first batch of Dutch jets was initially expected early this year. Ukrainian pilots have also required extensive training on the jets, with only some of the pilots having completed the training in recent weeks.

Experts told Newsweek earlier this month that Ukraine may ultimately receive the F-16s too late to make a real difference in the war, suggesting that relying on NATO allies to supply the jets may have been a strategic blunder.

Guy McCardle, managing editor of military news outlet SOFREP, said that Ukraine would have been better off boosting its “ongoing operations and defensive measures” with more readily available MiG aircraft in a shorter timeframe.

“A MiG in the sky is worth two F-16s on their way, for Ukrainians,” McCardle said. “The F-16 is a fine aircraft, and may benefit the Ukrainian effort in the long run, but if I were a Ukrainian general, I’d prefer MiGs on hand ASAP. Why? MiGs can be deployed immediately, providing an urgent boost to Ukraine’s air capabilities.”

“Ukrainian pilots are already familiar with MiG aircraft, reducing the need for extensive retraining,” he continued. “MiGs would allow for easier integration with Ukraine’s existing fleet of aircraft and logistics systems, which are already set up for the Soviet-era aircraft. The Ukrainians need immediate air support.”