Ukraine receives first F-16 jets, officials say

PHOTO CAPTION: Danish F-16 fighter jets are seen at Fighter Wing Skrydstrup near Vojens, Denmark May 25, 2023. Ritzau Scanpix/Bo Amstrup via REUTERS

(Reuters) -The first batch of long-awaited F-16 jets have arrived in Ukraine, Lithuania's foreign minister and a U.S. official said on Wednesday, an effort Kyiv has said will help rebuild its depleted air force.

F-16s, built by Lockheed Martin, have been on Ukraine's wish list for a long time because of their destructive power and global availability. The fighter jet is equipped with a 20mm cannon and can carry bombs, rockets and missiles.

"F-16s in Ukraine. Another impossible thing turned out to be totally possible," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the delivery had been complete.

Ukraine's Air Force did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

Denmark has committed to donate 19 jets in total, while the Netherlands has promised to deliver 24 aircraft. Both countries have been driving forces behind an international coalition to supply Ukraine with F-16s. Norway has also said that it would donate six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

The pilots and ground staff have been trained by Ukraine's Western partners for months.

The Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small fleet of Soviet-era jets as it has fought to hold back Russia's full-scale February 2022 invasion. Ukrainian officials see the addition of the F-16 as a vital upgrade for its Air Force.

Analysts and officials say the F-16s will not alone prove a turning point in the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Yuliia Dysa, Editing by William Maclean and David Gregorio)