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Ukraine will receive 42 F16 aircraft - Zelensky
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel that Ukraine and the Netherlands have reached a breakthrough agreement on the transfer of F-16 fighter jets. "As of today, there are specifics. They will be in the Ukrainian sky," Zelensky said.
He thanked the Netherlands and all those who support Ukraine, and said that he and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte had agreed to transfer 42 F-16 fighter jets after training Ukrainian pilots and engineers. "This is just the beginning," Zelenskyy added, calling the agreement another step toward strengthening Ukraine's air shield.
At a joint press conference with President Zelenskyy, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that the Netherlands and Denmark are committed to delivering F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine when the necessary conditions are met. Rutte emphasized the importance of training the Ukrainian military to deploy F-16s, but stressed that this is impossible without the delivery of the aircraft. "Today we can announce that the Netherlands and Denmark will hand over F-16 fighters to Ukraine when the conditions are met," Rutte said.
The Dutch prime minister also said that the Netherlands currently has 42 F-16 fighter jets, of which some will be used for training in Denmark and Romania, and the rest will be transferred to Ukraine. He added that it is also necessary to work on the infrastructure to enable the planes to arrive in Ukraine. "The F-16s will not be able to help immediately, but they will become part of Ukraine's defense system. We want them to be on combat duty as soon as possible," Rutte emphasized.
It is known that President Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska have begun a visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The main issue of negotiations with the Dutch side is the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to protect Ukraine from Russian aggression.
Photo: Zelensky/Telegram
