Belgium "Dumped" Ukraine - No F-16 Deliveries This Year
The Le Soir publication writes that the Belgian F-16s promised to Ukraine will not be delivered this year.
The reason is the lack of training of Ukrainian pilots and a shortage of spare parts. This is also partly due to the delay in the delivery of some of the first F-35s by Lockheed Martin to the Air Force.
The promise made by the Belgian government to Volodymyr Zelensky during his last visit to Brussels will not be fulfilled.
According to Belgian Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder, who presented the Belgian army's operational planning for 2025 during a visit to Poland last Friday, the first delivery of F-16 fighter-bombers will not take place this year, as previously announced.
It is noted that in May, Belgium signed a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. One of its clauses envisaged the delivery of approximately thirty F-16s by 2028 as part of a coalition created jointly with Denmark and the Netherlands.
"Belgium will do everything possible to accelerate the first delivery, if possible, before the end of 2024," the document said.
Belgium has screwed Ukraine – there will be no F-16 deliveries this year.