Ukraine Puts Number on F-16s After German Leopard Tank Success

Ukraine needs around 100 Western fighter jets, Kyiv’s defense minister has said, as a host of Western Leopard tanks arrives in Ukraine.

Most of the 100 advanced aircraft should be F-16s, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told French daily Ouest-France and Germany’s Funke Media Group in a joint interview. Experts have said the U.S.

F-16 is the best choice for Ukraine, although other planes, such as the Eurofighter and the Swedish Gripen, have cropped up in discussions around equipping Ukraine’s air force.

“My dream would be to have them for the end of the year,” Reznikov added, also confirming that 60 of the promised German-made Leopard main battle tanks from Ukraine’s Western allies have arrived in Ukraine.