The government of the Netherlands has decided to prepare the first 18 F-16 fighters for transfer to Ukraine.
Ukraine will receive fighter jets from the Netherlands
The Netherlands has started preparations for the transfer of the first 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. He noted that besides the export permit, some other criteria must be met for the transfer, including personnel and infrastructure requirements.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Rutte for the decision.
Zelenskyy also thanked the Netherlands for actively supporting the start of negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU and emphasized the importance of providing our country with long-term EU aid for €50 billion as soon as possible.
They discussed developments at the front, the situation in the Black Sea and Ukraine's current military needs, including artillery, drones and air defense equipment. We agreed to continue our joint work on security guarantees in accordance with the G7 Vilnius declaration, Zelenskyy added.
The interlocutors also discussed the next meeting at the level of advisers to the leaders of the states regarding the implementation of the Peace Formula and efforts to further consolidate the support of the countries of the world around the Ukrainian vision of a just peace.
F-16 for Ukraine
Earlier, Ukraine's allies announced the creation of an aviation coalition to transfer modern fighter jets, including the F-16, to the state. The Netherlands and Denmark led the alliance.
In the fall, Politico wrote that Ukrainian pilots began flight training on F-16 fighters in the United States, and on October 25, they began flying F-16s. Before that, they studied flight simulators, which fully reproduced the plane's cockpit.
AFU Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat explained that the F-16 aircraft transferred to Ukraine must be somewhat modernized to meet Russian aviation's capabilities.
The Wall Street Journal wrote that Ukrainian pilots could use the F-16 in combat as early as February 2024. It means it will happen this winter unless there are no delivery delays.
