The Netherlands, together with Denmark and Norway, are preparing 24 F-16s aircraft for transfer to Ukraine as soon as possible.
The Minister of Defense of the Netherlands Kajsa Ollongren told about this in an interview with Delfi.
Ollongren noted that currently Ukrainian pilots are undergoing training on the F-16, they are being taught how to service the aircraft. According to her, one of the important points is the availability of the appropriate infrastructure for the use of fighters.
"So there's a lot that's been done and there's still a lot to be done. We're also preparing the planes for the actual handover. We've announced that we're going to hand over 24 F-16s. And we'll hand them over with Denmark as well as Norway as soon as possible. But you know, everything has to be ready. It's useless to use that potential if you don't have everything ready. So I just encourage everyone to continue this work," Ollongren said.
The Dutch Defense Minister said she was confident of starting the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine this year, but Ollongren could not say when Ukraine would be able to use the fighters.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on January 22, it became known that Ukrainian pilots have already started joint flights with instructors.
On January 29, the spokesman of the Air Force Command of Ukraine, Yurii Ihnat, announced that F-16 aircraft would help Ukraine intercept cruise missiles and drones.
On February 5, the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, announced the transfer of additional F-16 fighters to Ukraine.
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