The Netherlands will supply Ukraine with eighteen F-16 fighter jets, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte confirmed on Friday. He wrote on social media that he notified his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of the caretaker Cabinet's decision during a phone call on Friday morning.
The Netherlands already confirmed in August that it would supply Ukraine with the aircraft after receiving permission from the United States, where the warplanes are manufactured. Zelenskyy had requested the aircraft during earlier conversations with its allies. Although it was never officially confirmed that the Netherlands would provide 18 aircraft in total, it was known that the Dutch military had 18 surplus F-16s that were not in an operational state. The other 24 are operational, even as the Dutch Air Force has been upgrading its fleet with the newer F-35.
Rutte confirmed the number of aircraft on Friday. "Today I also informed President Zelenskyy of our government’s decision to prepare an initial 18 F-16 fighter aircraft for delivery to Ukraine. The delivery of F-16s is one of the most important elements of the agreements made on military support for Ukraine," Rutte wrote. An export permit is still needed to supply the jets, and other conditions related to personnel and infrastructure will need to be "met before delivery can take place." Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will still need to make sure that handing the planes over to Ukraine meets European Union requirements about exporting arms.
Zelenskyy thanked Rutte for the military support in a post on X. "We discussed frontline developments, the situation in the Black Sea, and Ukraine’s current military needs, including artillery, drones, and air defense," he wrote.
The Netherlands has already helped spearhead an effort to create a training center for F-16 fighter pilots in Romania. The facility is being used to teach Ukrainian and Romanian pilots how to fly the aircraft. At least five F-16 units are on the ground at the Romanian location, but they will remain property of the Netherlands. The training takes an estimated six to eight months.
"This decision confirms the Netherlands’ undiminished commitment to providing Ukraine with the support it needs to respond to the ongoing Russian aggression," Rutte stated. He also said that the Netherlands is available to assist Ukraine in its ongoing effort to join the European Union.
"I also assured President Zelenskyy that the Netherlands will make every effort to ensure agreement is reached at the European Council meeting in February 2024 on financial support from the EU," Rutte said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán blocked the EU's bid to offer 50 billion euros in support to Ukraine earlier this month.
After the EU summit in mid-December, Rutte said he was optimistic that that European leaders would come together in agreement early next year. "It is an assumption. And that assumption is that you need just a little more time," he said at the time.
"I also thanked the Netherlands for actively supporting the opening of Ukraine’s EU accession talks and emphasized the importance of providing €50 billion in long-term EU assistance for Ukraine as soon as possible," Zelenskyy said on Friday. "We agreed to continue our joint work on security guarantees following the G7 Vilnius Declaration. We also discussed the next Peace Formula meeting and efforts to further consolidate international support for the Ukrainian vision of a just peace."