Ukraine can strike Russian targets with Dutch F-16s – Minister of Defence of the Netherlands

 Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren has reassured Kyiv that the 24 F-16 fighter jets that the Netherlands intends to donate to Ukraine may be used to strike targets inside Russia, POLITICO reports.

In an interview with POLITICO at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Ollongren said the Netherlands would not impose a limitation as was the case with Belgium, where Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has warned Kyiv not to fly the F-16s it gets from his country in Russian airspace.

“We are applying the same principle that we have applied to every other delivery of capabilities, which is once we hand it over to Ukraine, it’s theirs to use," Ollongren told POLITICO.

"We only ask them to comply to international law and the right to self-defense as stated in the UN Charter, which means they use it to target the military goals they need to target in their self-defense,” Ollongren continued.

The Netherlands and Denmark were the first to agree to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighters. Dutch Minister of Defence has announced that the Netherlands intends to send the first F-16s to Kyiv in 2024.

During a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Belgium on May 28, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that his country is committed to delivering 30 F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine by 2028. Zelensky said the first aircraft would be “arriving already this year.”