America News Agency

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen said the "transfer process" of the F-16s to Kyiv had begun after months of pilot training and political negotiations, "Ukraine will start flying operational F-16s this summer," the two leaders added.

The announcement about the F-16s was expected at the same time as the summit. It was hoped that the fighter jets could intercept Russian gliding bomb attacks launched from warplanes taking off from 43 miles (70 km) away, destroying frontline positions.

Norway and Belgium have also pledged to provide F-16s in the future. Still, Zelensky went further, saying: "I predict that our coalition of air force capabilities will become even stronger with new participants."

It remains unclear how effective the F-16, a fighter jet designed in the 1970s, will be in the war against Russia. How they will be concealed and protected on the ground will be important, especially when Ukraine's air defences are stretched.