Kiev will only receive the jets once Belgium gets F-35s from the US, Brussels defense minister has said

Belgium will only be able to deliver F-16s to Ukraine "in the years to come," Defense Minister Theo Francken has said, after his country initially promised to provide Kiev with jets last year. Brussels must first receive its own delivery of F-35s from the US, Francken stated.

Belgium - along with fellow NATO members Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway - pledged in 2023 to arm Kiev with up to 80 F-16s after receiving permission to do so from the administration of then-US President Joe Biden. Last year, Ukraine received about 20 of the aircraft from Denmark and the Netherlands.

Speaking at an event organized by the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington on Tuesday, Francken claimed Belgium was Kiev's "biggest supporter on the air domain," despite his country not yet providing Ukraine with any planes.

Brussels is "delivering 30 working F-16s [to Ukraine] in the years to come, as soon as possible," he added.

Francken explained the delay by saying that "when we have our F-35s [from the US], we will give the F-16s because we have DCA (Dollar Cost Averaging) capacity in Belgium."

He insisted that Belgium is "very forward leaning" towards Kiev and "will support [Vladimir] Zelensky and every Ukrainian because it is very important."

Last month, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said the country will send two non-operational F-16s to Ukraine to be used for spare parts by the end of 2025.

De Wever also announced that Brussels will provide €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in military support to Kiev annually. According to Francken, the package "will pass the government within a few weeks."

Last week, the US approved a $310.5 million deal to sustain Ukrainian-operated F-16s, which includes training, spare parts, aircraft modifications, logistics assistance, and software support for the fourth-generation aircraft.

The Defense Ministry in Moscow reported in April that Russian air defenses had shot down an F-16, making it the second confirmed loss of a US-designed jet operated by Ukraine.

READ MORE: US approves F-16 support package for Ukraine

The Ukrainian authorities initially claimed that F-16s would be a game-changer in the conflict with Russia. However, their use in combat has been limited, with the aircraft mainly being deployed away from the contact line for air defense purposes.

(RT.com)