Netherlands begins preparations for transfer of 18 F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets to Ukraine
The Dutch government has started preparations for the delivery of the first F-16 aircraft to Ukraine. This was announced by Prime Minister Mark Rutte during a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Here's What We Know
According to the head of the Dutch government, the delivery of F-16 Fighting Falcon is one of the key agreements to support Ukraine. The minister said that the government had decided to prepare the first 18 fighter jets.
????: I spoke with President @ZelenskyyUa again this morning. Naturally, we discussed the European Council's important decision last week to launch accession negotiations with Ukraine. I'm impressed with Ukraine's progress so far, and the Netherlands stands ready to help Ukraine as...
- Mark Rutte (@MinPres) December 22, 2023
At the moment, it is not known exactly how many aircraft the Netherlands will hand over to Ukraine. Earlier it was said that the Ukrainian Air Force will be able to count on most of the fourth-generation fighters.
In total, the Dutch Air Force has 42 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft in service. Part of the fighters will be used to train Ukrainian pilots.
Source: @MinPres.
