F-16 fighter jets are expected to be on the battlefield in Ukraine by this summer, a Dutch air force commander has said.
Gen Arnoud Stallmann, speaking in front of two disused F-16s in a military hangar in the Netherlands, said that after a series of delays, everything was “lining up” to see the US-made jets in Kyiv’s hands by this summer.
The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Norway have pledged around 80 F-16s to Ukraine between them. Kyiv has long called for the fighter jets, seeing them as vital to countering threats such as Russia’s recent use of deadly glide bombs, capable of levelling whole buildings.
It comes as Russian leader Vladimir Putin has arrived in Vietnam on the second-leg of his overseas tour, having visited North Korea yesterday.
Putin is scheduled to meet Vietnam’s most powerful politician, the communist party’s general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the new president To Lam and other officials, in the capital of Hanoi later today.
The Russian president’s last visit to Vietnam was in 2017. The pair have had diplomatic relations since 1950.
Putin in Vietnam, seeking to strengthen ties in Southeast Asia while Russia’s isolation deepens
Tom Watling20 June 2024 10:00
Russia obliterates front-line Ukraine towns by retrofitting bombs and expanding its air base network
Tom Watling20 June 2024 09:45
EU countries agree 14th package of sanctions against Russia – diplomats
EU countries agreed a 14th package of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, diplomats have said, including a ban on transshipments of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Belgium, which holds the European Union presidency until July 1, said on the X platform that the package “maximises the impact of existing sanctions by closing loopholes”.
Tom Watling20 June 2024 09:30
Russian attacks cut power for over 218,000 Ukrainians, ministry says
Russian attacks on energy infrastructure cut power for over 218,000 consumers across Ukraine for a time on Thursday morning, according to Ukraine‘s energy ministry.
Russia used drones and missiles to target energy infrastructure in four Ukrainian regions overnight, causing significant damage to a thermal power plant.
Power was restored for most consumers, the ministry added.
Tom Watling20 June 2024 09:15
Photos show aftermath of Russian glide bomb attack in Kharkiv
At least one person was killed and another injured after Russia forces fired a glide bomb at the village of Vilkhivka to the west of Kharkiv city on Thursday.


Tom Watling20 June 2024 09:00
Putin and Kim Jong-un exchange gifts including luxury limousine and hunting dogs
Tom Watling20 June 2024 08:45
We have some more photos of Putin’s trip to North Korea
We have some more of the latest photos coming from North Korea as Vladimir Putin spends time with the country’s dictator Kim Jong-un.
Putin signed a mutual defence agreement on June 19 with North Korea’s Kim, who offered his “full support” on Ukraine.



Tom Watling20 June 2024 08:30
Ukraine will finally use F-16 jets this summer, says Dutch commander
The much anticipated F-16 fighter jets will fly in Ukrainian skies at some point this summer, a Dutch air force commander said, reported The Guardian.
Ukraine is waiting for over 60 US-made F-16 fighter jets in a commitment made by Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway to help it fend off Russian attacks and dozens of Ukrainian pilots are currently undergoing training to fly the warplanes.
“Around this summertime, it is all lining up,” said Gen Arnoud Stallmann from inside a hangar at a military base inside the rural south of the Netherlands.
This is despite Vladimir Putin’s warning that Moscow could consider launching strikes at facilities in Nato countries if they host the warplanes used in Ukraine.
“F-16s are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and we will also need to take that into account while organising our combat operations,” Putin had said.
Arpan Rai20 June 2024 08:10
Ukraine launches a national sexual assault registry for victims of Russian forces
Authorities in Ukraine have created a national registry to document cases of sexual violence allegedly committed by Russian forces, a senior prosecutor told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Viktoriia Litvinova, the country’s deputy prosecutor general, said that the registry was created out of a pilot project that had already resulted in the convictions of five people in absentia. She declined to comment on details of the cases.
“We used to have to visit territories where hostilities are taking place ourselves,” she said. “But now people – individuals who have experienced sexual abuse – are seeking us out for information.”
Maryam Zakir-Hussain20 June 2024 07:00
Russian attack damages energy infrastructure in four parts of Ukraine
A Russian attack overnight damaged energy infrastructure in four Ukrainian regions this morning, the Ukrainian energy ministry said on Telegram.
The energy ministry said the attack injured three workers at one of the impacted energy facilities and cut power for some consumers.
Wider impact of the attacks on the power supply in Ukraine are not immediately clear.
Arpan Rai20 June 2024 06:34