Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday (20/8) that the Netherlands and Denmark would provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter aircraft.
Rutte, who met with Zelenskyy at a Dutch air base, said the planes would be delivered once unannounced conditions were met.
The announcement came minutes after Rutte and Zelenskyy inspected two gray F-16 jets parked in a hangar at the base.
The offers came two days after the Netherlands and Denmark said the United States had given permission for those countries to deliver American-made F-16s to Ukraine.
Friday’s US agreement to send F-16s to Ukraine is seen as a major boost for Kyiv, even though the fighter jets are unlikely to have an immediate impact in the nearly 18-month war.
Ukraine has long asked for advanced warplanes to provide a combat advantage. Ukraine recently launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against Kremlin forces without air cover, leaving its troops vulnerable to Russian air and artillery strikes.
The Dutch and Danish governments are also involved in a coalition training Ukrainian pilots to fly advanced fighter jets.
Source : VOA News
