The F-16 fighter jets would not be delivered to Ukraine until next year, but that did not dissuade President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from hopping into one last week in the Netherlands — one stop on a European tour to collect commitments to donate the warplanes as quickly as possible.
There he was in Denmark, praising the government for “helping Ukraine to become invincible” with its pledge to send 19 jets. In Athens, he said Greece’s offer to train Ukrainian pilots would “help us fight for our freedom.” Within days of returning to Kyiv, Zelenskyy had secured promises from a half-dozen countries to either donate the jets — potentially more than 60 — or provide training for pilots and support crew.