Ukraine is expecting to receive a final agreement from its allies on a “serious, powerful” offer of F-16 fighter jets, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

He said he had already discussed the number of aircraft needed with some of his European partners, and was waiting for a joint agreement with the United States.

The F-16s are seen as a crucial deterrent against Russia’s invasion, which has been ongoing since 2022.

Russia has warned that supplying Kyiv with F-16s, which can “accommodate” nuclear weapons, would escalate the conflict further .