Netherlands prepares to send 18 F-16 fighters to Ukraine

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated on Friday that he had informed Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky of the Netherlands’ decision to prepare the first 18 F-16 fighters for delivery.

«This morning I spoke again with President Zelensky […] I have informed President Zelensky of our Government’s decision to prepare an initial batch of 18 F-16 fighter jets for delivery to Ukraine. The delivery of the F-16s is one of the most important elements of the military support agreements for Ukraine,” the head of the Dutch Government wrote on his social networks.

However, it noted that “in addition to the export permit, other criteria still need to be met before delivery can take place, including personnel and infrastructure requirements.”

The Netherlands and Denmark were the first to agree to supply F-16 fighters to Ukraine in August. From Amsterdam they indicated that the country has a total of 42 F-16 combat aircraft, but the exact quantity that will be supplied is unknown. For her part, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declared at the time that Denmark would deliver 19 fighters to kyiv.

Russia has on more than one occasion condemned the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine, saying such deliveries only prolong the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in July that Moscow would consider sending F-16 fighters to Kiev as a nuclear threat, as his country “cannot ignore the ability of these aircraft to deliver nuclear weapons.” ». With RT

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