Belgium to Deliver 10 F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine This Year
Belgium will deliver 10 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine this year, Prime Minister Bart De Wever announced on October 16, 2026, after a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels. De Wever said the transfer had fallen behind schedule because of delays in deliveries of US-made F-35 jets meant to replace Belgium's F-16s, but the F-35s are now starting to arrive, making the handover possible. He said Ukraine urgently needs operational jets and described the F-16 as one of the few weapons able to counter Russian jet-powered drones effectively.
The two leaders also discussed additional ammunition for the aircraft, including munitions made by Belgian defence company FN Herstal. Zelenskyy said F-16s are playing a significant role in intercepting Russian jet-powered Shahed drones, and that Russian attacks that day had hit energy facilities in two regions, leaving nearly 15,000 people without power in Volyn and causing partial outages around Kyiv. The leaders also discussed Ukraine's financing needs; most frozen Russian assets are held at Belgium-based Euroclear, and Belgium has previously opposed using them for a reparations loan, citing legal and financial risks.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：比利时空军F-16AM战斗机。图片来源：Alan Wilson，CC BY-SA 2.0。Photo: A Belgian Air Force F-16AM fighter jet. Image: Alan Wilson, CC BY-SA 2.0.
