The Netherlands and Denmark confirmed Friday they received approval from the U.S. to hand over F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as soon as pilot training is complete.
Ministers from both countries, the leaders of an international coalition to help Ukraine obtain the jets, thanked Washington for the green light, although it remains unclear when any F-16 transfers will take place.
Outgoing Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren said she welcomed the U.S. decision “to clear the way for delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine,” which would allow the coalition “to follow through on the training of Ukrainian pilots.”
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in May said the Netherlands was seriously considering providing Ukraine with F-16s, as it is currently phasing out the fighter jets from its own armed forces. However, Ollongren did not want to specify how many F-16s will go to Ukraine.
Great news from our friends in the United States!
There is a green light for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine after our pilots complete their training.
Ukraine has proven that the impossible is indeed possible.
Our military has proven it is filled with fast…— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) August 18, 2023
Washington’s decision was reported on Thursday by POLITICO, with two U.S. officials saying that Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent letters to his Danish and Dutch counterparts assuring them that the requests would be approved.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra called the move “a major milestone for Ukraine to defend its people and its country.”
“Many thanks to Secretary Blinken for the good and swift cooperation. Now, we will further discuss the subject with our European partners,” Hoekstra said on social media.
Denmark also said providing Ukraine with the jets would now be discussed.
“The government has said several times that a donation is a natural next step after training. We are discussing it with close allies, and I expect we will soon be able to be more concrete about that,” Danish Defense Minister Jakob Ellemann-Jensen told news agency Ritzau on Friday.
A coalition of 11 nations, led by Denmark and the Netherlands, agreed during a NATO summit in July to train Ukrainians to fly F-16s and potentially other fighter aircraft.
The coalition plans to start training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s in August in Denmark, until a center is set up in Romania. [Politico]
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I mean “WITHOUT a substack page”. I don’t have one so wasn’t able to comment
This comment is meant for your latest post (https://strangesounds.substack.com/p/can-someone-explain-one-good-reason) but I’m unable to post on Substack with a substack page. Comment:
Yes it’s VERY WEIRD how amateur India’s supposed moon landing looks but expected. This is a nation whose population is fleeing to other countries to take their jobs and spread their unpleasant culture and ways, they have appalling poverty at home with basic infrastructure collapsing and killing people every few months…. But they managed to build a space ship and land on the moon. OK.
Send8ng F16s to Ukraine is in eff3ct part of “combined arms warfare” for which Ukrainian field commanders are objecting to. Read the NYT pieace published the othet day. In that piece the CIA days yes “yes we encouraged Ukranians to engage im combined arms warfare amd that it would result in heavy losses”. But the Ukramiams would be able to puncj througj Russian deffenses. Now the Ukranians are saying BS. And it is. 500 thousand Soviet and Ukraime troops lost amd the Ukraimians are sayimg foul.