Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke about the problems with the F-16 repairs

American F-16 fighter jets are effectively destroying the new Russian jet-powered drones; however, a significant portion of Ukraine’s aircraft have been in Europe for an extended period for repairs and maintenance.

According to the president, about half of the F-16s have been in Europe for a long time for repairs and maintenance.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the return of some fighter jets after the necessary work was completed took too long. As a result, Ukraine lost precious time when the aircraft were particularly needed to defend the country’s airspace.

The president emphasized that the F-16s are being successfully used to counter new Russian jet-powered drones. At the same time, the prolonged absence of the fighter jets from Ukraine for repairs reduces the number of aircraft that can be rapidly deployed for combat missions.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kyiv is seeking assistance from Western partners to move most of the F-16 maintenance work to Ukrainian territory.

The president explained that servicing the fighter jets closer to where they are deployed will allow for faster repairs and a quicker return of the aircraft to operational duty.

In this way, Ukraine aims to reduce the time during which F-16s are out of combat service due to repairs and maintenance, and to increase the operational readiness of the fighter jets to defend Ukrainian airspace.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made this statement in an interview with the Financial Times.

As a reminder, Poland has not yet transferred the promised MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine, but is ready to do so. The main obstacle remains the lack of funds needed to modernize these aircraft.

Poland is accelerating negotiations with Bulgaria regarding the MiG-29s.

We previously reported that Poland had suspended the transfer of the MiG-29s because it first wants to obtain drone technology.

Polish President Karol Nawrocki confirmed the possibility of exchanging MiG-29 fighter jets for Ukrainian anti-drone technology.

Poland plans to transfer up to nine of its MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine as part of its support for Kyiv to defend against a full-scale Russian invasion.