Netherlands to Send F-16 Fighter Jets to Ukraine Soon

AMSTERDAM – The Netherlands will soon supply Ukraine with the first of 24 promised F-16 fighter jets, the Dutch government said.

“The necessary permission to send the jets to Ukraine has been granted,” Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said in a letter to parliament ahead of a government transition on Tuesday (2/7/2024) after months of coalition building following last year’s election.

He declined to specify how many planes would be sent in the first shipment and when they would arrive in Ukraine for security reasons.

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The Netherlands has been one of the driving forces behind the international coalition to supply F-16s to Ukraine to strengthen its air defenses against Russia.

The Dutch government previously supplied F-16s to a training facility in Romania, where Ukrainian pilots and ground staff were taught how to fly and maintain the aircraft in combat.

In April, Ollongren estimated that deliveries promised by Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States would begin within months.

(ahm)