Belgium to transfer three F-16s to Ukraine this year, Zelenskiy says

KYIV, Sept 29 (Reuters) - ‌Belgium will ​transfer ​three F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by the end of the year to help ‌in its war with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr ⁠Zelenskiy said on Tuesday.

"There is an important agreement with Belgium ‌on the transfer of ‌three F-16 fighter jets by the end of this year," he wrote on X. "We will work ​to receive these aircraft through an accelerated procedure."

Zelenskiy said Ukraine had already received "urgent deliveries" of F-16 ⁠ammunition from Belgium and Spain, among other countries.

Zelenskiy said later in his ​nightly video address that Ukraine had received delivery the day before of a "very good" ​assistance package of a NASAMS ‌air defence system, developed jointly in the US and Norway.

Zelenskiy expressed thanks on ⁠social media to the US and Norway.

He also said that talks were proceeding to ensure that Ukraine has a ⁠supply of missiles for the Patriot air defence system, which ​play a critical role in intercepting Russian ballistic missiles.

Zelenskiy said tests were continuing to improve the efficiency of Ukrainian interceptors ‌against Russian jet-powered drones, which fly higher and faster than conventional drones.

Of more ‌than 100 Russian drones deployed on Tuesday, he said, ⁠29 were jet-powered ‌and 18 of those ​had been downed.

(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; Editing by Gareth Jones, Ron Popeski and Alistair ‌Bell)

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