Address by president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, May 24, 2023

The first Ukrainian F-16 will be one of the strongest signals from the world that Russia will only lose

I wish you health, dear Ukrainians!

Today, I held the first meeting of the Staff after all the important visits, meetings and decisions – defense decisions that we have been working on for quite some time and are now getting them in cooperation with our partners.

First of all, this concerns the aviation coalition – a coalition of modern fighter jets for Ukraine.

We are doing everything we can to reduce the time until the result is achieved, until new and powerful aircraft with Ukrainian pilots emerge in the Ukrainian skies.

It is clear that this global step will allow us to expand our defense capabilities. Because it is only with powerful aircraft that an air defense system can be complete.

On the other hand, the first Ukrainian F-16 will be one of the strongest signals from the world that Russia will only lose because of its own aggression, becoming weaker and more isolated.

Full text of the address: Office of the President of Ukraine