Belgium to send 30 F-16s to Ukraine before 2028 — top diplomat

WORLD  28 May 2024 - 14:01

Belgium will send 30 F-16s to Ukraine before 2028, with the first fighter jets arriving later this year, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib told Bel RTL radio, according to TASS.

"Belgium will commit itself to sending 30 of its F-16s to Ukraine, and the first jets should be delivered before year-end," Belgium’s top diplomat announced.

Lahbib will be running in the June 9 election from the Mouvement Reformateur (MR), a liberal party in which President of the European Council Charles Michel played an important role and of which European Commissioner Didier Reynders, who is leading efforts to seize frozen Russian assets, is a member. Lahbib said that Belgium had already set up a 1.7 billion euro fund for direct weapons supplies to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is visiting Brussels on May 28. He will be received by the Belgian premier and the king of Belgium. Also, a 10-year security agreement between the two countries will be signed.

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