Ukraine receives first French Mirage 2000 jets and additional Dutch F-16s
*Event date: 2025-02-06*
Ukraine says it has received its first French Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets, along with additional F-16 aircraft from the Netherlands, in another step toward rebuilding its air force during the war with Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the first Mirage jets from France had arrived and would add to Ukraine’s air-defence capabilities. French Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed the delivery and said the aircraft would be flown by Ukrainian pilots who had trained in France for several months. Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov also said the Netherlands had delivered additional US-made F-16 fighter planes that would soon begin combat missions.
The shipments matter because Ukraine has spent much of the war trying to plug gaps in its ability to defend the sky. Each new aircraft adds not just firepower but another layer of deterrence and flexibility. Zelenskyy said the air fleet was continuing to develop and thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for keeping his promise. He also said the latest deliveries were helping expand the F-16 fleet with Dutch support.
The exact number of Mirage aircraft delivered was not specified by either Zelenskyy or Lecornu. DW noted that a French parliamentary budget report last year suggested the French air force planned to send six of its 26 Mirage 2000-5 aircraft to Ukraine, but that figure has not been formally confirmed by the French defence ministry.
The French aircraft also appear to have been adapted for Ukraine’s battlefield conditions. Lecornu had previously said they were modified with air-to-ground capabilities and anti-electronic warfare defences so they could resist Russian jamming. That detail indicates the transfer is not purely symbolic: these are aircraft prepared for a contested airspace and an electronic battlefield.
The Netherlands’ contribution fits into a broader European effort to help Kyiv build a Western fighter fleet. Several countries have pledged F-16s, including Norway, and Ukraine has treated those deliveries as especially important given fears that support from Washington could weaken after Donald Trump’s inauguration.
That anxiety adds a political layer to the military story. Ukraine still depends heavily on allied support for weapons, training and replacement systems, and every new delivery is read in Kyiv as a sign that the coalition backing it is still functioning.
DW also reported Russian claims that its forces repelled another Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, but said those battlefield claims could not be independently verified. That serves as a reminder that the airpower story sits inside a war that is still being fought along multiple fronts and judged through competing official statements.
For France, the delivery reflects a commitment made by Macron last year. For the Netherlands, it confirms another tranche of pledged aircraft has arrived. For Ukraine, it means the air force has a little more depth at a time when extra jets, trained pilots and upgraded systems remain central to survival.
