Ukraine to get 42 F-16 fighter jets: Zelensky

KIEV, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine will get at least 42 F-16 fighter jets after the end of the training course for pilots, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday.

"F-16. Breakthrough agreement ... Thank you, the Netherlands," Zelensky wrote in a Telegram post after meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at a Dutch military base in Eindhoven.

The F-16 fighters will help Ukraine to boost its air defense capabilities, Zelensky said.

On Saturday, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that the F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots and support staff has begun.

The training program will last at least six months, Reznikov said.