Ukraine will receive the first F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands already this summer – the minister
The head of the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, announced that this summer the country will hand over the first F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
The official said this in an interview with European Truth.
The first F-16s from the Netherlands will arrive in Ukraine in the summer
Ollongren noted that after the first deliveries of F-16s to Ukraine in the summer of 2024, the transfer of these fighters will be put “on stream”.
– There will be more and more planes, and this will strengthen your Air Force… I can’t name the date, so I say: this summer. We are following this plan now. However, first you will get the planes from Denmark. We will be after Denmark, but this is a joint plan, – Ollongren clarified.
Regarding the readiness of the Ukrainian infrastructure to receive aircraft, she said that the movement is proceeding according to plan. Ollongren added that the F-16 requires not only pilots, but also technical personnel, as well as equipment and infrastructure.
She suggested that the F-16s alone would change the course of the war, but they would “make your Air Force and your air defenses much stronger.”
— But this cannot happen as soon as you get the first F-16s. Therefore, if someone expects an immediate effect, then I advise to be more realistic, – Ollongren noted.
Earlier, Kajsa Ollongren said that the Air Force of Ukraine can use Dutch F-16 fighter jets to strike military targets on the territory of Russia.
