Netherlands intends to transfer 18 F-16 fighters to Ukraine soon
The Dutch government said on Friday it plans to send the first batch of 18 Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine soon.
In a post on the social network X (formerly Twitter), interim Prime Minister Mark Rutte stated that "Today I informed President Zelenskiy of our government's decision to prepare an initial 18 F-16 fighter aircraft for delivery to Ukraine."
The Netherlands intends to pass on to the Ukrainian Air Force a total of 42 F-16 fighters that are in the process of being decommissioned as the country receives 5th generation F-35 Lightning II fighters.
The Dutch government, however, did not estimate a deadline for sending the first batch.
Pilots and maintenance personnel from the Ukrainian Air Force are undergoing training in the United States and Romania to bring the F-16s into operational condition.
In November, the Netherlands sent five F-16 fighters to the open training center in Romania.
In addition to the Netherlands, Denmark also plans to send 19 F-16 fighters to Ukraine, which currently depends on old Russian combat aircraft such as the MiG-29 and the Sukhoi Su-27.
Three Su-24 attack planes reportedly shot down
Also on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government said it had shot down three Russian Sukhoi Su-34 fighter bombers.
The episode would have occurred in the southern region of the country and was not admitted by the Russian government, although pro-Vladimir Putin bloggers reported the losses.
It is estimated that the three planes were hit by Patriot missiles, supplied by the United States.
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