Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has named preventing Russia from dominating Ukraine's airspace as a priority in 2024, and Ukraine needs F-16 fighter jets to do so. The Foreign Minister said this during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
"And in 2024, of course, the priority is to throw Russia out of the sky, because the one who controls the sky will determine when and how the war will end. To do this, Ukraine needs to be provided with aircraft, which is in progress, F-16s, long-range missiles, and drones. Ukraine has significantly increased the production of drones and, of course, electronic warfare. So, if all this happens, we will continue to win and continue to liberate," the minister said.
Kuleba reminded that in 2022, Ukrainian forces managed to liberate 50% of the occupied territories, and in 2023, Ukraine pushed the Russian Black Sea Fleet out of its territorial waters.
"And this allowed us to restore the grain corridor, which does not depend on Russia and can function independently," he said.
However, the minister emphasized that Ukrainians are fighting "a powerful enemy that does not sleep, so it takes time."
