Ukraine finally deploying US-made F-16 fighter jets, Zelenskiy says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sits in a F-16 fighter jet at Skrydstrup Airbase in Vojens, Denmark, August 20, 2023. Ritzau Scanpix/Mads Claus Rasmussen via REUTERS/File Photo

(Reuters) -Ukrainian pilots have started flying F-16s for operations within the nation, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday, confirming the long-awaited arrival of the U.S.-made fighter jets more than 29 months after Russia's invasion.

The Ukrainian leader announced the use of F-16s, which Kyiv has long lobbied for, as he met military pilots at an air base flanked by two of the jets, with two more flying overhead.