BRUSSELS. Dec 22 (Interfax) - The Dutch government has decided to prepare 18 F-16 fighter jets for Kiev, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky by phone on Friday.
"Today I [...] informed President Zelensky of our government's decision to prepare [...] 18 F-16 fighter aircraft for delivery to Ukraine," Rutte said on the X social network.
He added that a number of conditions had to be met for the delivery.
"Besides an export permit, a number of other criteria must also still be met before delivery can take place, including requirements for personnel and infrastructure," Rutte said.
Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said in early November that the Dutch Armed Forces command had sent five F-16 fighter jets to the Fetesti airbase in Romania for training Ukrainian pilots. Those were the first F-16 fighter jets assigned by the Netherlands for training Ukrainian pilots.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in October that the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine would not begin until the spring of 2024. He also said that the United States would lead the coalition to help Ukraine rebuild its air force. Denmark and the Netherlands will take part in the coalition, Austin said.
F-16 is a U.S. light multirole fourth-generation fighter jet in operation since 1978. It is considered to be the most popular fourth-generation fighter; in total, more than 4,600 fighter jets have been built, they are operated by 25 countries, and were actively used in the NATO operation against the former Yugoslavia and in conflicts in the Middle East.