The Dutch foreign minister, who visited Kiev on Sunday, clarified that there were no longer any obstacles to the rapid delivery of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine.
“Without Delay”, probably in the coming days. The Netherlands will “without delay” start delivering F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, the new Dutch foreign minister, Caspar Veldkamp, promised on Sunday during a visit to Kiev. Ukraine has been demanding the delivery of fighter jets for months, hoping these US-made planes will help the country better protect its soldiers and its cities from daily Russian bombing.
On the occasion of his first international trip since he was appointed head of diplomacy a few days ago, Caspar Veldkamp assured that thanks to the granting of the necessary export licenses last week, the Netherlands was now ready to send these planes to the Ukrainians. “Now that we have received the green light for the first F-16s, they will be delivered without delay”, he said on Saturday during a press conference in the Ukrainian capital. As with any celebrity trip, details of the trip had been kept secret for security reasons.
The minister did not give further details about the exact date when the first of the promised 24 planes would reach Ukraine. Caspar Veldkamp is a member of the coalition that has just come to power, and where the extreme right-wing Freedom Party (PVV) Geert Wilders occupies the most important place. Caspar Veldkamp is a member of the New Social Contract (conservative) party. The new government reaffirmed Holland’s support for Ukraine.
Kiev has been in demand for the F-16 since the Russian invasion in February 2022, and Ukrainian pilots have undergone months of training in several NATO countries. Several member states of the Atlantic alliance have committed to providing such units, praised for their precision, speed and autonomy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with AFP in May that Ukraine would need about 130 to achieve air parity with Russia. But so far Western countries have pledged fewer than 100. Russia, for its part, has warned that its forces will target any Western military equipment sent to Ukraine, including F-16s.
