the Netherlands announces the delivery of the first eagerly awaited F-16s to Ukraine

2023-12-23 16:11:00

Highly anticipated, the F-16s promised by the Netherlands should soon arrive on Ukrainian soil. On Friday, the Dutch government announced that its country would deliver its 18 « premiers » American-made F-16 fighter planes to Ukraine, without giving the date of delivery of the devices. The latter are eagerly awaited as kyiv faces increased pressure from Russia on the front.

“Today I informed President Zelensky of our government’s decision to prepare the delivery of a first batch of 18 F-16 fighter jets for delivery to Ukraine,” said the outgoing Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, on X (formerly Twitter), assuring that “the delivery of F-16s is one of the most important elements of the agreements reached on military support to Ukraine”. “This decision confirms the Netherlands’ unwavering commitment to providing Ukraine with the support it needs to respond to ongoing Russian aggression”he greeted.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the same social network that he had spoken with Mark Rutte and thanked the Netherlands for their ” decision “ regarding the F-16s. “We discussed developments on the front line, the situation in the Black Sea and Ukraine’s current military needs, including artillery, drones and air defense”he added.

Pilot training in progress

In total, the Netherlands and Denmark are to provide 61 combat aircraft – 42 and 19 aircraft respectively – once Ukrainian pilots have been trained. A commitment made official last August with the support of the United States. Volodymyr Zelensky then traveled to the Netherlands and then to Denmark where he was welcomed by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen. During this visit, they examined F-16s and took stock of the start of training for Ukrainian pilots. The Netherlands already sent the first five F-16 fighter planes to Romania last month, where they are to be used for training Ukrainian pilots.

Training, by a coalition of eleven countries, has in fact already begun and officials have said they hope that the pilots will be ready by early 2024. Language courses to encourage the use of the devices by the pilots are particularly in progress, explained the Dutch Prime Minister, adding that he wanted to start ” as soon as possible “ military training in Denmark, which will then be transferred to Romania.

Among the requirements linked to the delivery of the F-16s, a permit is also required for the export of military equipment in order to avoid undesirable end use, the Dutch government clarified on Friday, and the promised devices must of this first be tested to see if they meet several criteria. “A certain number of devices also require significant maintenance”, noted the government. Other criteria must also be met before the devices can be delivered. In addition to the training of Ukrainian personnel, the availability of suitable infrastructure in Ukraine is also necessary.

Ukraine’s accession to the EU

During his interview with Volodymyr Zelensky, Mark Rutte also addressed the question of Ukraine’s integration into the European Union. THE December 14, the EU decided to open accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova, as announced in Brussels by Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, on the first day of a summit of EU leaders. 27. In November, Kiev had, in fact, obtained the approval of the European Commission for the opening of these negotiations.

EU membership: Ukraine gets the green light from Brussels to open negotiations

HAS On this subject, the Dutch Prime Minister said “impressed with the progress Ukraine has made so far.” When the EU granted it candidate status in June 2022, it, in fact, attached seven reference criteria to be met, particularly in terms of the fight once morest widespread corruption and judicial reforms. “More than 90%” work has been done, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also estimated at the beginning of November.

“The Netherlands is ready to help Ukraine pursue the reforms required by the accession process,” further assured Mark Rutte on Friday to Volodymyr Zelensky, indicating that he “ also assured President Zelensky that the Netherlands will do everything possible to ensure that the European Council in February 2024 reaches an agreement on financial support from the EU ».