🔴 Live: Zelensky hails ‘historic’ F-16 agreement during Netherlands visit

Issued on: 20/08/2023 – 12:45Modified: 20/08/2023 – 15:31

4 min

3:35pm: Zelensky hails ‘absolutely historic’ F-16 decision

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has welcomed the decision by the Netherlands and Denmark to hand over F-16 planes, calling it “historic”.

Speaking at a Dutch air force base in Eindhoven, where he and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte inspected two gray F-16 jets parked in a hangar, Zelensky said the decision was “absolutely historic, powerful and inspiring for us”.

On Friday, the Netherlands and Denmark said the US had authorised them to deliver American-made F-16s to Ukraine. Washington’s approval was seen as a major boost for Kyiv, even though the fighter jets won’t have an impact any time soon on the almost 18-month war.

Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge. It recently launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery. 

The Dutch and Danish governments are also involved in a coalition that is working to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the advanced fighter jets. 

12:03pm: Zelensky lands at Netherlands air base, says Dutch government

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived on Sunday at a Dutch air force base in Eindhoven, two days after the United States approved the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv.

His flight landed around midday, a Dutch government spokesperson told AFP, although details of the delivery of aircraft to Ukraine have not been unveiled.

“Together with the First Lady and the team, we arrived in the Netherlands. As always, we will have substantive talks with Prime Minister Mark Rutte,” Zelensky posted on Telegram in English. 

“The main issue is F-16 for Ukraine to protect our people from Russian terror. We are getting stronger. The agenda also includes the Global Peace Summit, the #PeaceFormula, and bringing the terrorist state to justice.”

11:53am: ‘There is a lot of sadness but still a lot of resilience [in Chernihiv]’

Reporting from Chernihiv, FRANCE 24’s Emmanuel Chaze said “today has been declared as a day of mourning in Chernihiv after the city was struck at its very heart by a Russian missile.”

“The Ukrainian population is shocked by yet another attack that shows that nowhere across the country is really safe from such missile attacks. Here in Chernihiv region, not too far from where this strike happened, there are also people who are working towards rebuilding houses which were also struck by similar bombings of missiles [. . .] and that shows that even if people here are shocked [. . .], they are also very resilient, and they are intent on rebuilding their country,” she added. 

11:44am: Zelensky vows retaliation for Chernihiv attack that killed seven people and wounded over a hundred

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed Sunday a stern retaliation to the Russian missile strike in the center of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv that killed seven people and wounded over a hundred others the day before. 

“I am sure our soldiers will respond to Russia for this terrorist attack. Respond tangibly,” Zelensky said in a video address published in the early hours of Sunday at the end of a visit to Sweden, his first foreign trip since attending a NATO summit in Lithuania last month.

He named a six-year-old girl, Sofia, as among the dead in the attack and confirmed that the wounded included 15 children.

10:19am: Russia ‘thwarts’ Ukraine drone attack on Moscow region

Russia said it had thwarted Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow and its region on Sunday, the second such incident in two days as Kyiv presses ahead with a counteroffensive.

Both sides have reported regular drone incursions during the conflict, with strikes on Russian territory becoming increasingly regular.

“At around 4:00 am (0100 GMT), an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by drone on infrastructure in Moscow and the Moscow region was thwarted,” the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

Key developments from Saturday, August 19:

A woman’s body was found under the rubble of a building destroyed in a Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Saturday, bringing the death toll to seven, according to Interior Minister Igor Klymenko.

A 6-year-old girl was among the dead.

At least 90 others, including 12 children, were wounded in the attack on downtown Chernihiv.

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Read yesterday’s liveblog to see how the day’s events unfolded.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)