Ambassador to Netherlands: Ukraine will receive F-16s this year
Photo: Fighter jet F-16 (Getty Images)
Ukraine will receive F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands already this year, but the exact date of delivery has not been announced, according to the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Netherlands Oleksandr Karasevych in an interview with Ukrinform.
"Indeed, Mrs. Ollongren (Minister of Defense of the Netherlands - ed.) recently noted that Ukraine will receive F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands already this year. We know exactly when the Dutch fighter jets will be ready for transfer to Ukraine, but of course we will not announce it," Karasevych said.
At the same time, the exact number of fighter jets that Ukraine will receive from the Netherlands is known.
"Both Ms. Ollongren and Prime Minister Rutte spoke about this. These will be the 18 previously promised fighter jets, which are already being prepared for transfer to Ukraine, and the additional 6 that were recently announced," the ambassador said.
He also noted that in addition to the fighter jets that the Netherlands will provide to Ukraine, the Dutch partners are transferring 18 more planes to a training center in Romania for the training of Ukrainian pilots.
"And of these 18 fighter jets, 5 are already in Romania. So, in total, we are talking about 42 F-16 fighter jets that the Netherlands is providing to bring victory to Ukraine," added Karasevych.
The ambassador also noted that the Netherlands allocates 122 million euros to Ukraine for ammunition, weapons and cyber security.
F-16 for Ukraine
Earlier, Ukraine's allies announced the creation of an aviation coalition to transfer modern F-16 fighter jets to our country. The coalition was led by the Netherlands and Denmark.
Recently, it became officially known that the first group of Ukrainian pilots completed the basic training program in Britain and began training on F-16 fighters in Denmark.
At the end of December, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, said that the country's government had decided to prepare the first 18 F-16 fighters for transfer to Ukraine.
The Pentagon said that Ukraine would be able to receive the first F-16 fighter jets already this year. And the spokesman of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Yurii Ihnat, emphasized that the partners are ready to hand over the planes to Ukraine, but the preparatory work needs to be completed.
