Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, has said that the F-16 fighter jets, on which Ukrainian pilots are currently being trained, will strengthen Ukraine's air defence and help inflict greater losses on the occupation army of the Russian Federation.

"The F-16s will make a difference. They will strengthen Ukraine’s capacity to inflict losses on the Russian invading forces. The F-16s will also help to further strengthen Ukraine’s air defence," Stoltenberg noted at a press conference in Brussels..

At the same time, he emphasised that there is no single type of weapon capable of radically changing the situation on the battlefield.

"At the same time, I think we have to realise that this (the F-16s – ed.) is not a 'silver bullet'. There is no single system that, by itself, will fundamentally change the situation on the battlefield. This is a question of many different capabilities working together. At the same time, that will push the Russians back. We have to be prepared for a long and hard fight," the NATO Secretary General added.

At the end of October, the US confirmed the start of flight training of Ukrainians on the F-16s.

Earlier, it also became known that the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) was opened at Fetesti Air Force Base in Romania, where Ukrainian pilots will be trained.