The fighters should be delivered to Ukraine by June or July, the report said on Saturday, adding that the source did not specify from which countries these jets would arrive.
The Netherlands and Denmark were among the first countries to agree to supply F-16s to Ukraine. The White House later confirmed that Kiev would receive the US-made jets from third countries once Ukrainian pilots complete the training to fly them. Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said the Hague planned to deliver the first batch of F-16s to Ukraine in 2024, although the ministry announced in early January that the delivery would be delayed by up to six months.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu earlier said that Russia would start hunting down Ukrainian F-16s as soon as they begin arriving. He stressed that Russian air defense systems will need only about “20 days of work” to destroy the first batch of these jets supplied to Kiev regime.
Vladimir Putin had a conversation with Russian military pilots in March and stressed that F-16 would change nothing for Kiev.
“If they supply F-16s... I think, and you understand this better than anyone else..., this will not change the situation on the battlefield,” Putin said.