How many jets does Ukraine have? Nato announces 'robust package for Ukraine' as efforts escalate
Fighter jets will be donated to the Ukraine war effort in the coming weeks, it has been announced.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken made the announcement at this week's Nato summit in Washington.
The jets – F-16s – will be making their way to Ukraine imminently from Denmark and the Netherlands, he said, adding that a “robust package for Ukraine will be unveiled over the next couple of days”.
He said: “Those jets... will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression.”
The Denmark jets are expected in the coming weeks, but Norway will also donate six of the fighter jets, confirmed the country's prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
No date was announced for when Norway will donate the jets, but Mr Gahr Støre said: "We aim to start the donations during 2024."
Britain’s new prime minister, Keir Starmer, also gave the go-ahead for British missiles to be used in strikes against targets inside Russia during the Nato meeting.
The use of Storm Shadow missiles, which has been welcomed by Ukraine, represents a shift in policy from the stance taken by the former Conservative government.
John Healey, the new defence secretary for the UK, said he would not go into specifics into how operations would work, but told Sky News that Britain "will do all we can to help Ukraine in their fight to repel Putin's invasion".
Speaking in Washington, Mr Healey said: "We provide weapons equipment where we can for them to defend themselves and, as we do for ourselves and any other nation in conflict, we require, because it's international law, that war is conducted within those rules of the Geneva Convention."
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, after the meeting with Sir Keir, president Volodymyr Zelensky said: "This morning, I learned about the permission to use Storm Shadow missiles against military targets in Russian territory.
"Today, we had the opportunity to discuss the practical implementation of this decision. I'm grateful to the UK for its unwavering support for Ukraine and our people."
Dutch defence minister Kajsa Ollongren said on February 5 that the country was preparing to provide Ukraine with an extra six F-16 fighter planes built in the United States.
According to the Kyiv Independent, this takes the Netherlands' total number of jets pledged to Ukraine to 24.
The hope among Kyiv's allies is that the aircraft will be able to drive Russian planes back from the frontlines, more accurately target radar transmitters, and intercept more cruise missiles.
Mr Zelensky previously visited the Netherlands in May 2023 and Denmark in August 2023, following months of appeals to strengthen the Ukrainian air force.
Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, had said in August her country would donate 19 jets: “hopefully” six in 2023, eight more in 2024 and the final five in 2025. According to national Danish newspaper Berlingske in January, there were six Ukrainian pilots training on the advanced fighter jets in Denmark.
Ukraine admitted on August 17 it was not able to deploy the US-made F-16 fighter jets in the autumn and winter of 2023 because of a lack of training.
Here is a look at how many jets Ukraine has been pledged and what we know about the state of the armament flow to help it combat Russian forces.
How many jets does Ukraine have?
According to Forbes, Ukrainians had around 105 MiG-29s, Su-24s and Su-25s before the Russians attacked – and, a year later, still have around 105 of these types.
It is estimated Ukraine still has up to 50 Su-27s. Forbes claims these might be Ukraine’s most useful jets as they are fast, manoeuvrable, and flexible.
How many jets are being sent now?
Poland had promised Ukraine four MiG-29 fighter jets, which had been inherited from the former German Democratic Republic. It issued an update on May 17 that it has delivered almost all its jets to Ukraine. Even before Russia invaded Ukraine, Poland was one of the loudest opponents of the Russian leadership in Europe.
The German government approved Poland’s request in mid-April last year. The defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said: “I welcome the fact that we, in the federal government, have reached this decision together.”
Now, further amounts are being sent from Denmark and the Netherland but no official numbers have been released.
Who else is arming Ukraine?
By a wide margin, the US provides the most military aid, followed by the UK and the EU.
On January 23 last year, Mr Zelensky declared that his country's forces urgently required western battle tanks to protect its borders and drive Russian troops out of occupied territory.
The same month, the US, the UK and Germany said they were sending tanks, and Germany allowed other Western countries to send German-made tanks from their fleets.
The US is sending 31 Abrams tanks, the UK is sending 14, Germany is sending 14 and the US is sending 14 Challenger 2 tanks. It is not clear if all of these have reached the battlefield.
Many European nations use the Leopard 2, which is said to be more fuel-efficient and easier to maintain than the majority of Western tanks.
Six Leopard 2 tanks were sent out to Ukraine by Spain on April 21.
Now they are receiving more support from the UK in the form of the missiles agreement, with a more “robust package” set to be unveiled over the coming week.
