Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder said that in 2024, Belgium plans to provide Ukraine with 611 million euros in military aid and will support AFU's modernisation.
Belgium helps Ukraine's military area.
The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umierov, held a telephone conversation with his Belgian colleague Ludivine Dedonder, during which the heads of departments discussed the latest events at the front and prospects for defence cooperation between the countries.
Umierov reported this on Facebook.
Dedonder told a colleague that this year, Belgium plans to provide 611 million euros in military aid and is long-term committed to modernising our defence forces.
I am grateful to Belgium for participating in the air force coalition, in particular in the pilot training program. I highly appreciate the unwavering support of the Belgian partners, Umierov emphasised.
Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder announced when Belgium will hand over F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine: it will happen in 2025
According to her, Belgium will transfer several F-16 fighter-bombers to Ukraine as part of additional aid in 2025. The exact number of aircraft provided will depend on "the build-up of our new F-35 capabilities."
In addition, the country will train Ukrainian pilots and offer to take over the maintenance of the entire F-16 fleet of the coalition.
The minister indicated that the Belgians will train Ukrainians in Belgium, Denmark and, possibly, in one of the countries of the European Union. Training on Ukrainian territory is currently not considered.
We are in the process of providing assistance to Ukraine in the modernization of its armed forces. And I think what we're proposing here is fundamental and much better than just announcing the dispatch of a few F-16s, Dedonder added.
What is known about training on the F-16
Two Belgian F-16B aircraft will be stationed at Skidstrup Air Base in Denmark from March to September for two periods of eight weeks.
The training will include pilots, Ukrainian engineers, and mission planners.
This training mission is part of the "F-16 coalition" of 13 countries, including Belgium, under the leadership of Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States.
Norway announced earlier about sending its fighters to Denmark to train Ukrainian pilots. The Norwegian Air Force has replaced its F-16s with new F-35s.
