Ukraine can strike military targets in Russia with F-16s provided by Netherlands - Defense Minister Ollongren
The Netherlands will allow Ukraine to use the F-16 fighter jets it has been provided with to strike military targets in Russia. Kyiv will receive 24 such aircraft from the country.
This was stated by the head of the Dutch Ministry of Defence, Kajsa Ollongren, in an interview with Politico, Censor.NET reports.
She stressed that the Netherlands would not impose restrictions, as was the case with Belgium.
"There are no Belgian-style restrictions. We are applying the same principle that we have applied to every other supply of forces and facilities, which is that as soon as we hand them over to Ukraine, they can use them," said Ollongren.
According to the minister, the Ukrainian Defence Forces can only strike at Russian military targets.
"All we ask is that they respect international law and the right to self-defence as stated in the UN Charter, which means they will use fighter jets to hit the military targets they need to defend themselves," added Ollongren.
Earlier, Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot said that the Netherlands would not object to Ukraine's future use of F-16 fighter jets over Russian territory as a means of self-defence.
As a reminder, Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said that Kyiv expects to receive its first F-16s very soon.
