US and Russia Complete Largest Prisoner Swap in post-Soviet Era

The first batch of F-16 fighter jets highly anticipated by Ukraine have arrived in the country, according to a US official and a Ukrainian lawmaker who wished to remain anonymous due to not being permitted to speak on the matter publicly.

Ukraine has been longing to acquire the F-16s, built by Lockheed Martin, in order to bolster its war effort against Russia. F-16’s are known for their destructive power and are loaded with 20mm cannons that can carry bombs, rockets and missiles.

Ukraine has been pleading for F-16s for months to its Western allies, claiming they are in dire need to fight back against Russia’s missiles. NATO was supposedly hesitant on providing the jets following previous concerns that arming Ukraine with such advanced capability would only further intensify the war with Russia.

Nonetheless, the US has been training Ukrainian pilots on how to operate the jets and has reportedly already graduated the first group of pilots .

US President Joe Biden approved the sending of the American-made warplanes to Ukraine back in August 2023.

NATO countries such as Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway have agreed to send Ukraine with over 60 planes. However, the Russian jet fleet remains much more vast and is likely to be around 10 times larger.

Ukraine would require at least 130 F-16 fighter jets in order to compare with Russian air power, according to Ukrainian Officials. F-16s can reportedly fly up to twice the speed of sound and have a maximum range of more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers).

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