Ukraine will start receiving F-16s this summer. Denmark will send first ones - Dutch Defence Minister Ollongren
Dutch Defence Minister Keesa Ollongren has announced that Ukraine will receive the first Western F-16 fighter jets in the summer of 2024. Initially, Kyiv will receive Danish aircraft.
According to Censor.NET, she said this in an interview with the Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT.
"Starting this summer, we are ready to provide real capabilities, first we will start sending Danish F-16s, followed by Dutch F-16. Of course, preparation is also needed on the Ukrainian side, the infrastructure must be prepared, and technical capabilities, from spare parts to ammunition, must be ensured," she said.
When asked about the delay in military aid, the Dutch minister said that "the war is complicated and very ugly".
"If you ask a Ukrainian soldier who is in the trenches at the front, of course, it is possible that it is going on for a long time and there is not enough help," Olongren added.
F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine
Earlier, Danish Ambassador Ole Egberg Mikkelsen said that Ukraine would receive the first F-16s this summer.
Belgium said it would accelerate its efforts to deliver F-16s to Ukraine as early as 2024.
Pentagon chief Austin said in April that the first F-16s would start arriving in Ukraine with trained pilots in 2024.
The Netherlands will start sending F-16s to Ukraine in autumn 2024.
