Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said he would propose delivering all of Belgium's remaining F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine once the country receives replacement F-35 aircraft.
Francken announced this ahead of a NATO Defense Ministers' meeting in Brussels, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"We will help them (Ukraine – ed.) with delivering seven F-16s this year. So, there will be four F16s this year for spare parts, while three will operate in the skies of Ukraine to defend Ukraine against Russian aggression," he said.
Francken described the F-16 as a highly effective platform, particularly against missiles, cruise missiles and other aerial threats. He added that he intends to recommend that the Belgian government deliver all remaining F-16s to Ukraine over the coming years.
"We will propose to the government to send all our F-16s to Ukraine in the coming years. It depends on having our F-35s in place, because we have DCA capacities and a role in the nuclear doctrine of NATO. So, we have to have the F-35s before we can deliver the F-16s," Francken said.
The minister also said he was looking forward to meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the office of Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever later in the day.
As reported by Ukrinform, Zelensky and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte discussed strengthening Ukraine's air defenses and obtaining U.S. licenses for the production of air defense systems.
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