The long-awaited arrival of U.S.-made F-16s have allegedly landed in Ukraine, officials said Wednesday, a move that will help Kyiv revive its air capabilities in its war against Russia. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly emphasized his country’s need for superior air support and aircraft since Russia invaded more than two years ago. 

Despite international willingness to provide warplanes to Kyiv, the U.S. previously refused its F-16 technology over concerns it could escalate the war beyond Ukraine’s borders – a similar position it took with other wartime capabilities like long-range ATACMS missile systems and Abrams M1 tanks before Washington again capitulated. 

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Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, an ardent supporter of Kyiv, took to X to confirm the delivery and said, “F-16s in Ukraine. Another impossible thing turned out to be totally possible.”

Despite multiple reports citing U.S. intelligence officials, neither the Pentagon nor Ukrainian defense officials have officially confirmed that the sorely needed warplanes have been delivered.

Kyiv’s push to keep the F-16 arrival a secret is not a surprising decision given the security challenges the planes will prove for the war-torn state. 

Ukrainian pilots have been training on F-16 systems in the U.S. and in Europe as they look to roll out a new defense with the modern warplanes.

However, Ukraine will also need to secure the planes while they remain on the ground as they are expected to be a top target for Russian forces looking to destroy the F-16s. 

From left to right, Belgium Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgium Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder listen as they meet with Belgian F-16 pilots, instructors and technical staff during an inspection visit at the Melsbroek Military Airport in Steenokkerzeel, northeast of Brussels, on May 28, 2024. (Photo by ERIC LALMAND/Belga/AFP via Getty Images)

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When asked about the arrival of the F-16s by reporters Wednesday, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said, “I’m certainly not going to talk about weapons capabilities.” 

“We have said, and said at the NATO summit, that the process of providing F-16s to Ukraine continues to move forward,” he added. “We said that they will be operational by the end of the summer. We have no reason to doubt that.”

Zelenskyy has long emphasized the important role F-16s would serve in bolstering Ukraine’s air defenses as Russia continues to pummel the country with drone and missile strikes. 

Wreckage and debris outside a damaged shopping center in the Podilskyi district of Kyiv from Russian air strikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, 21 March 2022. (Ceng Shou Yi/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“Last night alone, almost 90 ‘Shahed’ drones were shot down,” Zelenskyy said in a Wednesday address to the nation.  “This is a serious result. I thank everyone for their precision: our mobile fire groups, fighter aircraft crews, anti-aircraft gunners, electronic warfare specialists — everyone.”

“You have done an excellent job in the skies across many of our regions,” he added. “It is also crucial to increase Ukraine’s skies defense capabilities.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

BREAKINGBREAKING,

The deal taking place in Turkey includes 24 adults and two children, security sources say.

An extensive prisoner swap believed to be carried out between Russia and the United States and its Western allies is taking place in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, according to security sources.

The deal involves seven different countries and includes 24 adults and two children, the sources told Al Jazeera on Thursday.

Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reported that US journalist Evan Gershkovich and ex-US Marine Paul Whelan are part of the deal, which is one of the largest prisoner swaps between Russia and the West since the Cold War.

“A [prisoner] exchange operation will take place today under the coordination of our organisation,” the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) said in a statement.

“Our organisation has undertaken a major mediation role in this exchange operation, which is the most comprehensive of the recent period.”

Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was arrested in 2023 and charged with spying. Whelan was detained in 2022 and subsequently sentenced to 16 years on espionage charges, as well. The US has deemed both prisoners “wrongfully detained”.

The Reuters news agency reported on Thursday that a Russian military plane, believed to be linked to the prisoner swap, had landed in Ankara.

More to come…