Ukraine receives first F-16 fighter jets in landmark moment for its air force – live

Ukraine has the production capacity to produce more than three million drones a year, but will require additional funding from international partners, according to the Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Strategic Industries.

“We have large enough production capacity, we can produce more than 3 million drones of various types today,” Anna Gvozdiar said, according to Ukrainian national broadcaster Suspilne.

Ukraine needs financing for the production of drones, as the state can only cover part of the budget. Funding from foreign partners, such as Canada, will help to cover the rest of the financing, Ms Gvozdiar said.

She added Kyiv is in talks with the UK government to to help purchase domestically-produced drones for the Ukrainian military.

The UK has pledged £12.5 billion in support to Ukraine since February 2022, of which £7.6 billion is for military assistance. Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government have reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Ukraine.

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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv hopes China will apply pressure on Russia to end the 29-month-old war instead of acting as a mediator.“If China wants to, it can force Russia to stop this war.

I do not want (China) to act as a mediator. I would like it to put pressure on Russia to put an end to this war,” Zelensky told reporters in France.

“Just as the United States is applying pressure, just as the European Union is applying pressure. The more influence a country has, the greater should be its pressure on Russia.”

China, which has a “no limits” partnership with Russia, has advanced its own peace plan to end the war based on non-escalation, direct negotiations and humanitarian assistance.

A Russian court has ordered a French citizen arrested in Russia to remain in custody ahead of his trial on charges of unlawfully collecting information on military issues.

Laurent Vinatier was arrested in the Russian capital in June as tensions flared between Moscow and Paris following French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments about the possibility of deploying French troops in Ukraine.

Russian authorities accused Vinatier of failing to register as a “foreign agent” while collecting information about Russia’s “military and military-technical activities” which could be used to the detriment of the country’s security. Under Russian law, the offense is punishable by up to five years in prison.

On Wednesday, Moscow’s Zamoskvoretsky District Court ordered Vinatier to remain in custody until 5 September pending the probe into his action, rejecting his plea to be released on bail or placed under house arrest.

Vinatier is an adviser with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Geneva-based nongovernmental organization. The NGO said in June it was doing “everything possible to assist” him.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday that Kyiv does not want China to act as a mediator its conflict with Russia, but hoped Beijing would apply greater pressure on Moscow to end the war.

Zelensky, speaking to French media outlets, also said that while Ukraine insisted on restoring its 1991 post-Soviet borders it would consider opening talks with Russia before all of Moscow’s troops were withdrawn if the conditions were right.

“If China wants to, it can force Russia to stop this war. I do not want (China) to act as a mediator. I would like it to put pressure on Russia to put an end to this war,” he told reporters.

“Just as the United States is applying pressure, just as the European Union is applying pressure. The more influence a country has, the greater should be its pressure on Russia.”

Ukraine will temporarily suspend international debt payments starting today (August 1) in a move that puts the country into what is likely to be a short-lived default, according to a resolution approved on Wednesday.

The first coupon payment was coming due on Thursday. On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a corresponding law that allowed suspension of such payments until October 1.

Earlier this month, Ukraine announced a preliminary deal with a committee of its main bondholders to restructure its near $20 billion worth of international debt.

The first batch of long-awaited F-16 jets have arrived in Ukraine, Lithuania’s foreign minister and a US official said on Wednesday.

The delivery marks an effort which Kyiv has said will help rebuild its depleted air force.

F-16s, built by Lockheed Martin, have been on Ukraine‘s wish list for a long time because of their destructive power and global availability. The fighter jet is equipped with a 20mm cannon and can carry bombs, rockets and missiles.

“F-16s in Ukraine. Another impossible thing turned out to be totally possible,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the delivery had been complete.

Ukraine‘s Air Force did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

Denmark has committed to donate 19 jets in total, while the Netherlands has promised to deliver 24 aircraft. Both countries have been driving forces behind an international coalition to supply Ukraine with F-16s. Norway has also said that it would donate six F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.

The pilots and ground staff have been trained by Ukraine‘s Western partners for months.

The Ukrainian military has had to rely on a relatively small fleet of Soviet-era jets as it has fought to hold back Russia’s full-scale February 2022 invasion. Ukrainian officials see the addition of the F-16 as a vital upgrade for its Air Force.

Analysts and officials say the F-16s will not alone prove a turning point in the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

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• Ukraine shoots down 89 drones and one missile to defend Kyiv

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