Zelensky in Brussels for security agreements with Western allies

This article was originally published in English

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo signed a bilateral security agreement this Tuesday morning in Brussels. In this text, Belgium undertakes in particular to provide 30 F-16 combat aircraft to Ukraine by 2028 to help Kyiv repel the invasion of Russia.

Mr. Zelensky will then visit a military air base in the Belgian capital and meet instructors responsible for training Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16.

Belgium has pledged to supply fighter jets to Kyiv as part of a broader initiative by European allies and hopes to begin deliveries this year.

Mr. Zelensky’s visit to Belgium comes a day after he visited Spain and that he managed to secure a promise of additional air defense missiles from Spain. These missiles will allow you to repel the approximately 3,000 bombs that Russia launches on the country every month.

Despite the victory, Mr. Zelensky said he still needed U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles to counter the Kremlin’s attacks on the electrical network and the civil areas heavily affected.

“If we had these modern Patriot systems, the (Russian) planes would not be able to fly close enough to drop bombs on the civilian population and the army”Mr Zelensky said at a press conference in the Spanish capital.

Additional sources • adaptation: Serge Duchêne