During President Vladimir Zelensky’s European tour, it was stated that the aircraft would be sent to Kiev.
The long-requested F-16 fighter jets from Ukraine would be provided, the Netherlands and Denmark announced on Sunday. The decision was made public at a meeting between Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who were touring an airbase in Eindhoven.
“Today we can announce that the Netherlands and Denmark commit to the transfer of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine and the Ukrainian Air Force, including cooperation with the United States and other partners, once the conditions for such a transfer have been met,” Rutte said during a joint press conference with Zelensky.
The prime minister mentioned that his nation has 42 of these planes, but it is still too early to predict how many will be given to Kiev. The Netherlands and Argentina had been negotiating a prospective deal for the jets for several years; at least 12 of the aircraft had been offered for sale.
Zelensky praised the choice as a “historic” advance and suggested that Amsterdam would provide Ukraine all of its F-16 stock.
Following the training of our pilots and engineers, Mark Rutte and I reached an agreement over the quantity of F-16s to be given to Ukraine. 42 aircraft. And this is only the start,” On Telegram, Zelensky posted.
The Danish Defence Ministry simultaneously made a statement announcing that Denmark will give Kiev F-16s. The ministry did not specify the precise number of aircraft that would be sent, but it did state that the delivery of the aircraft is subject to a number of “conditions,” which “include, but are not limited to, successfully selected, tested and trained Ukrainian F-16 personnel as well as necessary authorizations, infrastructure and logistics.”
“Denmark’s support for Ukraine is unwavering, and with the donation of F16 aircraft, Denmark is now leading the way,” Defence Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said.
Both the Netherlands and Denmark are in the process of gradually replacing their outdated F-16 fighter jets with more contemporary F-35 aircraft. Denmark’s fleet of vintage aircraft includes about 40 of them.
Kiev has long pressed its Western allies for combat aircraft, claiming that the F-16s—and possibly other types of aircraft as well—would help tip the balance in the fight with Russia. Moscow has frequently encouraged the West to refrain from “pump-priming” Ukraine with advanced weapons, claiming that doing so will just make the fighting last longer without affecting the outcome.
