Netherlands to hand over 42 F-16 jets to Ukraine

Amsterdam and Kyiv have agreed that the Netherlands would provide Ukraine with 42 F-16 fighter jets, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday.

The agreement was reached today during the meeting between Zelensky and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Zelensky and his wife Olena arrived in the Netherlands today for an official visit. 

“Mark Rutte and I have agreed on the number of F-16s that would be provided to Ukraine after our pilots and engineers complete training. Forty-two aircraft. And that’s just the beginning. Thank you, Netherlands!” Zelensky wrote in a Telegram post.

On 18 August, the US approved the transfer of F-16 fighter jets from Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine after Ukrainian pilots complete the training programme. Due to the fact that F-16 fighter jets are produced by the US, other countries need its approval to be able to export them. 

Earlier today, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that the pilots had already begun their training. He noted that 11 partner countries had joined the “aircraft coalition”. According to Reznikov, the training programme will last at least six months.