After the training of Ukrainian pilots and ground personnel is completed, Ukraine will receive F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Denmark. This was stated by both politicians during the visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Netherlands and a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Rutte .
Today, we took another step to strengthen Ukraine's air shield. F-16s.
Today, we took another step to strengthen Ukraine's air shield. F-16s.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 20, 2023
These jets will be used to keep Russian terrorists away from Ukrainian cities and towns.@MinPres Mark Rutte and I reached an agreement on the number of F-16s to be transferred to Ukraine once our pilots and…Although Prime Minister Mark Rutte himself mentioned the figure of 42 F-16s, according to open source information, the Dutch Air Force has only 24 F-16AM/BMs, i.e. Block 20 aircraft manufactured in the early 1980s. The Danish Air Force, which also participates in the process of training pilots and transferring fighters, has another 30 F-16As. Most likely, it will not be possible to transfer all the F-16s, as Denmark, for example, has just begun to receive F-35 Lightning IIs to replace them.
According to Mark Rutte, language training for the Ukrainian military has now begun, so the actual delivery of the fighter jets is still a long way off. But the very fact of this agreement is definitely positive.