Netherlands Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren announced that her country has granted permission to export 24 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. Ollongren stated that the first aircraft will be sent to Ukraine as soon as possible, a decision communicated through a letter to the lower house of the Dutch Parliament, the House of Representatives.
In her letter, Ollongren mentioned, “On June 19, the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation granted export licenses for 24 F-16 aircraft and seven F-16 engines… The Netherlands will deliver the first F-16s to Ukraine soon.” Earlier, the Dutch Ministry of Defense had promised to deliver the first batch of F-16s to Ukraine by the end of summer.
Russia has reacted strongly to this development. Andrey Kartapolov, Chairman of the Defense Committee in the lower house of the Russian parliament, the Duma, warned that if the F-16s participate in the conflicts in Ukraine, these aircraft and their bases would become legitimate targets for the Russian Armed Forces.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commented that Russia would interpret the F-16 delivery to Ukraine as a deliberate signal from NATO in the nuclear domain. Lavrov emphasized that these aircraft would not change the situation on the front line and would be eliminated like other Western-made weapons.
While this move by the Netherlands significantly boosts Ukraine’s defense capabilities, it appears to further escalate tensions between Russia and the West.
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