OMM Redaksiyası
Ukraine has reached an agreement with Belgium to receive three F-16 fighter jets by the end of the year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday, according to an announcement on the US social media platform “X”.
Zelenskyy said Belgium and other countries, including Spain, had already delivered urgently needed F-16 ammunition. He thanked Belgium’s prime minister and government for their support, saying Ukraine needed greater capacity to intercept aerial targets and protect civilians as Russia escalates its attacks.
Ukraine seeks stronger air defence support
The Ukrainian president also held separate meetings in Ukraine with Danish Parliament Speaker Soren Gade and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) President Odile Renaud to discuss defence and energy assistance.
Zelenskyy thanked Gade for Denmark’s “strong and consistent support” and said continued assistance was essential. He highlighted financial contributions to Ukraine’s defence production and direct military aid, particularly air-defence systems capable of countering jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles.
Ukraine and Denmark could also explore opportunities under the European SAFE instrument to strengthen their shared security, he added.
EBRD support for energy and reconstruction
During his meeting with Renaud, Zelenskyy thanked the EBRD for helping to expand and protect Ukraine’s electricity generation. He said Kyiv expected that support to continue.
The discussions covered Ukraine’s energy sector, logistics and data centres, which Zelenskyy said had been targeted by Russian strikes, as well as efforts to attract investment and maintain Ukrainian exports.
Zelenskyy said the EBRD could provide financial and infrastructure assistance to rebuild facilities damaged by Russian attacks and strengthen Ukraine’s economy.
He said ongoing Russian strikes had disrupted a significant share of food supplies relied upon by countries across nearly every continent, stressing the importance of implementing financial and infrastructure projects with EBRD support.
