F-16s will arrive in Ukraine in nearest future - Dutch Defence Minister Brekelmans
Netherlands Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said that F-16 fighter jets would arrive in Ukraine in the near future.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to Ukrinform.
‘I can tell you that the F-16s will arrive soon, and that we are working hard to make it happen as soon as possible. But I will not share any details. The reason is not that I don't want to inform the public, because I would like to inform everyone as much as possible. But we know that the F-16 is also a target for Russia, and if we share the details, the exact date and time, it will be very valuable information for the Russian regime. And we don't want to make them more informed than they already are,’ Brekelmans said.
He also noted that Ukrainian pilots are very fast learners and do an amazing job.
‘I'm also not going to say their exact number, because this is also valuable information for Russia. I can say that what Ukrainian pilots are doing now is truly amazing. Usually, Dutch pilots need many years, sometimes even more than five years, to learn the F-16, to learn the system, which is quite complex. Ukrainian pilots now do it in a year and a half. So this is really something remarkable,’ the minister said.
According to him, all arms transfer processes must be carried out in a safe and reliable manner.
Brekelmans also noted that F-16s are important for defence and protection.
‘I think that in the first phase, air defence will be the most important way to use F-16s. And maybe later they can be used for other manoeuvres. But the priority is air defence,’ said the Dutch Minister of Defence.
