The Dutch government said on Friday that it will be sending 18 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to aid in the country’s fight against Russia’s invasion.
Caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte posted on social media site X, saying, “Today I informed President Zelenskiy of our government’s decision to prepare an initial 18 F-16 fighter aircraft for delivery to Ukraine.”
“The delivery of F-16s is one of the most important elements of the agreements made on military support for Ukraine.”
The delivery of the fighter jets is still pending on an export permit by the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs and the fulfillment of criteria for staff and infrastructure in Ukraine, Rutte added without giving a timeline for these decisions.
However, the announcement made it possible to reserve funds and people to prepare the planes for delivery, the government said.
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy said on X that he spoke with Mark Rutte to thank the Dutch government for its decision to start preparing the initial 18 F-16 jets for their delivery to Ukraine.
