Kyiv officially requests Dutch F-16 jets

Ukrainian authorities have filed an official request with the Netherlands to supply F-16 fighter jets, Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren said as reported by NOS.nl.

“We need to discuss the availability of F-16s with the Americans and other allies. <…> We should also seriously consider the consequences, it cannot just happen like that overnight,” she said.

Ollongren noted that Ukrainian pilots would first need to be trained to fly the jets. Moreover, the US as the manufacturer is required to issue a permit to re-export the planes, she added.

According to the minister, Ukraine can potentially become one of the countries that uses F-16s.

On 8 February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the UK and delivered a speech before the British parliament. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak noted that “nothing is off the table” when discussing fighter jet supplies to Ukraine to combat Russia.

On 31 January, US President Joe Biden announced that the US would not send F-16s to Kyiv. The White House noted that the country would already supply the weapons that Kyiv needs in winter and spring.

The fighter jet issue came to the forefront of discussions as the decision was made to send Western-made tanks to Ukraine almost a year after the war broke out.

Politico earlier reported that the Western world is discussing potential supplies of F-16s to Ukraine, noting that the Baltic States particularly backed this idea. However, this issue can be more controversial than the tank decision, Politico noted.