Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte pledged to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine during a surprise visit by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a major step by a crucial Kyiv ally to provide advanced weapons to fight off Russia’s invasion.
After receiving a required green light from the US to transfer the aircraft to another owner, Denmark and the Netherlands will to send the fighters to Ukraine once pilots there have been trained to fly them, Rutte said.
“I cannot give the exact number, but we still have 42 in stock here in the Netherlands,” the Dutch premier said at a joint news conference with Zelenskiy on Sunday. When asked if Ukraine may get the jets as early as September, he said, “Not next month, that’s impossible. But hopefully soon after.”
Denmark and the Netherlands said Friday they’d received a letter from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken giving them the go ahead for deliveries.
Zelenskiy visited Sweden Saturday to start a new round of talks with allies on weapons systems that could strengthen the country’s defenses and boost a slow-moving offensive to take back land occupied by Russia.
He spoke with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson about the Nordic country’s Gripen fighter jet, and the leaders signed a statement of intent to cooperate on production on CV90 combat vehicles. Ukraine’s pilots have started training flights on the Gripens, Zelenskiy said.
In the Netherlands, he said he preferred not to disclose the numbers of pilots in training for now.
“I cannot say how many pilots — not to surprise Russia, so that they won’t be able to prepare for this,” Zelenskiy said. “There is a political decision: We know how many planes we can use, we need to prepare the infrastructure, and our military will work on it.”
Of the Netherlands’ 42 F-16 fighter jets, 24 are being used and couldn’t be sent to Ukraine until mid-2024. The Netherlands and Denmark have been leading the coalition to train the Ukrainian pilots.
Danish officials haven’t yet said when they might send the aircraft. The Nordic country has previously said it wants to hold onto its roughly 30 F-16 jets through 2024. The aircraft are being phased out as Denmark receives 27 new F-35 Joint Striker Fighters it has ordered from Lockheed Martin Corp.
Rutte, who last month announced his decision to quit politics as the longest-serving premier of the Netherlands, vowed the abrupt collapse of his government will not change The Hague’s stance on Ukraine and the caretaker cabinet will continue to support Kyiv in its military response to Russia’s invasion.
--With assistance from Olesia Safronova.
(Updates with quotes from first paragraph.)
