Ukraine loses third F‑16 amid escalating air defense concerns

              
• Ukraine lost its third F-16 fighter jet during combat with Russia.
• The pilot managed to destroy three targets before the failure.
• A commission is investigating the circumstances of the incident.
• Trilateral talks.

Ukraine announced on Telegram the loss of another F-16 fighter jet. This is the third such incident, raising concerns about the country's air defence. During the mission, the pilot successfully destroyed three air targets. Unfortunately, while preparing to engage a fourth target, an "extraordinary situation" occurred on board the aircraft.

The pilot, demonstrating calmness under pressure, moved away from populated areas and ejected. The pilot was quickly found and evacuated. His health is described as "satisfactory," and he is not in any danger.

Authorities have convened a commission to investigate the cause of the failure, aiming to prevent similar situations in the future.

The first F-16 fighter jets arrived in Ukraine in July 2024. The aircraft came from Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, and Belgium. These countries committed to sending 60 aircraft to the fighting in Ukraine. So far, Ukraine has lost three of these aircraft. In the first two F-16 incidents, two experienced Ukrainian pilots lost their lives.

On Friday in Istanbul, trilateral talks will take place involving Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia, as well as Turkey, the USA, and Ukraine. This information was provided by a source in the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday evening.

Trilateral negotiations are expected to take place between the United States, Ukraine, and Turkey, as well as between the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Turkey. However, it remains uncertain whether a quadrilateral meeting involving all four parties—USA, Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey—will be held.

The Ukrainian delegation will be led by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, while the Russian delegation will be headed by Vladimir Putin's advisor, Vladimir Medinsky.