The Netherlands will send the 24th and final F-16 fighter jet to Ukraine on Monday. This completes the delivery of the pledged F-16s to Ukraine.
This was announced by Minister Ruben Brekelmans (Defense). The delivery of the F-16s was announced in August 2023 by then Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
In the summer of 2024, Ukraine received the first Dutch F-16s. At that time, Ukraine had already received some fighter jets from other Western countries. Denmark, Belgium, France, and Norway, among others, had promised fighter jets to Ukraine.
Ukraine is using the F-16s, among other things, against Russian drone and missile attacks. Last night, Russia attacked Ukraine again in this way. At least fourteen people were killed. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, it was the largest drone attack since the Russian invasion in 2022.
According to Brekelmans, the latest attack shows that Russia has no intention of seriously discussing peace. The minister therefore wants the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to be further increased. He hopes that the Americans will impose new sanctions on Russia.
The Netherlands is not only supplying 24 F-16s to Ukraine, but has also made 18 such fighter jets available for a training center in Romania. At Fetesti Air Base, in addition to NATO pilots, Ukrainian pilots are also being trained to fly F-16s. The Netherlands, together with Denmark and the United States, took the lead for that training center and is also helping with the training at the base.
The Dutch Air Force is currently flying with the newer F-35s and therefore no longer needed the F-16s supplied to Ukraine.