Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Ukraine and Belgium inked a security pact, with Belgium committing €977 million and 30 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. The deal, spanning ten years, also focuses on defence cooperation and strengthening sanctions against Russia.
Ukraine and Belgium locked a bilateral security pact, with Belgium dedicating €977 million in military assistance and 30 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo marked a bilateral security and long-term support deal, including an arrangement to send Kyiv €977 million in Belgian military assistance this year.
“This will ensure Belgium’s commitment to providing our country with support over the course of the agreement’s ten-year term,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X on Tuesday.
“For the first time, such an agreement specifies the exact number of F-16 fighter jets — 30 — that will be delivered to Ukraine until 2028, with the first arriving already this year,” he added.
What are the key provisions of the security agreement?
According to Zelenskyy, the contract guarantees Belgium‘s timely security assistance, modern armoured automobiles, equipment to complete Ukraine’s air force and air defence needs, naval security, mine support, participation in the artillery ammunition section, and military training.
The deal also includes strategies for defence industry cooperation, supporting Ukraine’s Peace Formula, and strengthening sanctions against Russia, among other provisions.
Belgian Prime Minister De Croo expressed Zelenskyy required “the right tools to protect his citizens.” “We are very determined when it comes to our support,” he wrote in a post on X, “so we need to do more, better and faster.”
Zelenskyy was in the Belgian capital to shore up Western backing for the war-battered Ukraine. He also plans to visit a military airbase in the Belgian capital, where he will encounter instructors helping to train Ukrainian pilots to fly US-made jets.
What role does Belgium play in Ukraine’s defence strategy?
Belgium has committed to supply fighter aircraft to Kyiv as the domain of a broader initiative by European allies and hopes to start deliveries this year. Zelenskyy’s Belgium visit comes a day after he journeyed to Spain and successfully booked a Spanish pledge of additional air defence missiles. This will assist fend off roughly 3,000 rockets and drones Russia releases in the country every month.
Despite the success, the Ukrainian leader stated he still needs US-made Patriot air defences to prevent Kremlin attacks on the heavily-hit power grid and civilian sites. “If we had these modern Patriot systems, (Russian) aeroplanes wouldn’t be able to fly close enough to drop the bombs on the civilian population and the military,” Zelenskyy expressed at a news conference in the Spanish capital.
