FILE PHOTO: A pilot sits inside the jet aircraft as Norway marks the first delivery of used F-16 fighters to Romania at Rygge air station, Norway November 28, 2023. NTB/Ole Berg-Rusten via REUTERS/File Photo Image:Reuters/NTB

Norway says it will donate six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine

10 Jul 2024, 12:35 by Gwladys Fouche and Louise Breusch Rasmussen · Japan Today

OSLO — (Reuters) -Norway will donate six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, the Norwegian government said in a statement on Wednesday as NATO leaders attended a summit in Washington.

Leaders of NATO member states are poised to unveil new aid for Ukraine to help it defend itself following Russia's invasion in February 2022.

Hoping to change the course of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wants the 32-member collective security alliance to send more weapons and money, and to offer security guarantees.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said deliveries of the F-16s by Norway were planned to start in 2024.

A senior NATO official said this week that Ukraine had not yet amassed the munitions and personnel it needs to mount its own large-scale offensive operations.