This latest incident comes amid mounting warnings over Russian provocations in the region. The Hungarian fighters are stationed in Lithuania under NATO’s air policing mission.
The pilot reportedly downed three air targets, and used his gun on a fourth target just before the emergency forced him out. It's the third F-16 loss since last August.
Ukraine's Air Force received an unspecified number of additional F-16s, with Zelenskyy refuting Russian propaganda claims that any aircraft had been shot down in Sumy Oblast.
A Ukrainian official has claimed that a political decision by Washington is damaging operations against Russia due to the slow pace of F-16 pilot training.