Updated

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Ukraine needs to raise the number of F-16 fighters flying at once to 2.5 times the current level, because the aircraft are often in maintenance. Ukrainska Pravda reported the remarks, which Zelenskyy made to journalists and which European Pravda, citing Interfax-Ukraine, also relayed. He said Ukraine has enough jets on paper but that they are constantly in for maintenance because the F-16s are not new, and he called for urgent supplies of F-16s and help from European partners with Patriot interceptors, PAC-2 and PAC-3. He said he would join next week's Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting online and that Ukraine is also working with the United States on the issue. Ukrainska Pravda also noted that Belgium plans to supply three F-16 jets to Ukraine this year after coordinating the deal with France, and that Zelenskyy had previously said around half of Ukraine's F-16s spend long periods in Europe for repairs. The statement gave no timeline for the expansion.