Norway's F‑16 deployment boosts Ukraine's air capabilities
Norway announced that it will send six F-16 fighters to Ukraine "in the near future," according to Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, on Thursday.
Minister Umerov reported this decision after meeting with Norwegian Defence Minister Bjoern Arild Gram. The two politicians spoke during the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting in Brussels.
F-16s in Ukraine
The Norwegian government decided to transfer the fighters in July. The first planes are expected to arrive in Ukraine in 2024.
Ukraine may use them to attack targets in Russia
In late June, the Dutch Defence Minister announced that the country would grant Ukraine permission to use the F-16 fighters it transferred to attack targets on Russian territory.
“We only ask them to comply to international law and the right to self-defence as stated in the U.N. Charter, which means they use it to target the military goals they need to target in their self-defence,” said Kajsa Ollongren, the Dutch Minister of Defence, at that time.
The first F-16s arrived in Ukraine on 31 July. The Kyiv authorities have not disclosed the number of aircraft delivered in the initial batch. A coalition of countries, including Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium, has committed to delivering approximately 60 fighters.
