The Netherlands will send F-16 fighters to Ukraine after pilot training. Together with Denmark, this country heads the coalition for the training of Ukrainian pilots.
This is reported by Bloomberg.
According to the agency's source, the Dutch government initiated talks with US officials in recent weeks to pressure the administration of President Joe Biden to give the green light to the delivery of the planes. After months of pressure from Kyiv and allied governments, Biden announced last week that the US would support efforts to train Ukrainian pilots.
The Netherlands and Denmark lead the pilot training coalition with support from the UK and Belgium. According to one of the sources, the Dutch government is already studying and discussing possible transfer plans with its allies. Despite the Dutch government's willingness to do this "as soon as possible", pilot training, deployment planning and logistics could take many months.
Currently, the Netherlands has 42 F-16 fighter jets in service, 24 of which are currently in use by the Dutch army and cannot be sent to Ukraine until mid-2024. A dozen of the other 18 planes were to be sold to Draken International, but the government delayed the transfer of the planes in December without giving reasons, citing commercial confidentiality.
Pilot training
While a final decision has yet to be made, Ukraine could receive some of the planes up for sale or some of the 24 planes currently in service next year, depending on the training schedule. The Netherlands maintains the airworthiness of its F-16 aircraft through regular maintenance.
A spokeswoman for the Dutch Ministry of Defense said on Thursday that the government will consider the possible delivery of F-16s to Ukraine at a later date. She added that pilot training is currently a priority.
Earlier this month, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that there is no taboo on sending fighter jets to Ukraine. Rutte's office declined to comment on the possibility of an F-16 transfer.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the US would work with allies in the coming months to determine when the planes would be delivered and by whom. The most likely scenario at the moment is that the US will not send F-16s to Ukraine, but will instead rely on their supply from other countries.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that the U.S. recognizes "the leadership of the Netherlands in coordinating and leveraging the capabilities of other allies to provide critical assistance to Ukraine" after a telephone conversation with Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren.
According to the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands, to date, the Netherlands has provided Ukraine with about 1.6 billion euros in military aid since the beginning of the Russian invasion, while the delivered equipment alone amounted to 732 million euros.
Earlier, the adviser to the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Yuriy Sak, stated that the Netherlands could become the first country to provide Ukraine with F-16s.
The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that several countries, including Poland, have started training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
According to the media, such training of Ukrainian pilots can last four months. Such an assessment was formed by the US Air Force when Ukrainians came to the United States for training on a flight simulator.
