Delivery of Ukrainian F-16s by Year-End... Netherlands and Others Confirm Support

The Netherlands and Denmark have pledged to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.

On the 20th, Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine (left in the photo), and Mark Rutte, outgoing Prime Minister of the Netherlands (right in the photo), shook hands during a visit to the Eindhoven Air Force Base in the Netherlands. [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

On the 20th (local time), the governments of the Netherlands and Denmark issued a joint statement saying, "We agree to transfer (the fighter jets) to Ukraine under close cooperation with the United States and other partner countries once the conditions for the transfer of F-16 fighter jets are met."

According to the statement, the conditions for providing the fighter jets include the successful selection and training of Ukrainian personnel to operate the F-16s.

The joint statement was released to coincide with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's surprise visit to the Netherlands and Denmark. Major foreign media reported that the decision by the two countries is the first case of a commitment to support Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.

President Zelensky responded at a joint press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, saying, "This is a very historic, powerful decision that boosts our morale."

However, the joint statement did not specify the exact timing of the delivery. Considering that the F-16 operational training for the Ukrainian forces, which is set to begin this month and is conducted by 11 countries including the Netherlands, will take several months, the actual delivery of the fighter jets is expected to be as early as the end of this year or early next year.

The specific quantity of support is still under discussion. At the joint press conference held at the Eindhoven Air Base in the Netherlands, Prime Minister Rutte said, "There is a maximum of 42 units that can be supported, but it is too early to say whether all of them will be delivered," avoiding a direct answer.

Denmark plans to sequentially deliver a total of 19 units. The German news agency dpa reported that Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen plans to first deliver 6 of the 19 fighter jets to Ukraine around the end of the year, with 8 and 5 units to be delivered sequentially in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

The Netherlands and Denmark were the leading countries in deciding to conduct F-16 pilot and operational training for the Ukrainian forces back in May. Recently, with the United States officially approving the transfer of its domestically produced F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, there is a possibility that other NATO member countries will also join in providing fighter jets.

Earlier, on the 17th, major foreign media reported, citing U.S. government officials, that the United States had officially informed Denmark and the Netherlands that it would promptly approve their requests to transfer U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.