Netherlands Grants Ukraine Permission to Use F-16s for Strikes on Russian Territory

Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren has stated that her country does not object to Ukraine carrying out strikes on military targets within Russian territory using the F-16 fighters that the Netherlands will provide to Kyiv. She made this announcement during an interview with Politico at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore.

The Dutch official emphasized that, unlike Belgium, the Netherlands will not impose any restrictions on the use of the 24 F-16 fighters that will be transferred to Ukraine. Kajsa Ollongren mentioned that the only request to Ukraine is to adhere to international law.

"We do not have 'Belgian-style' restrictions. We apply the same principle as we do with any other arms supply — once we hand them over to Ukraine, they can use them. We only ask Ukraine to abide by international law and the right to self-defence as outlined in the UN Charter. This means they will use the aircraft to target military objectives necessary for self-defence," said the Dutch Defence Minister.

It is worth recalling that Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo requested that the F-16s provided by Belgium not be used in Russian airspace or for strikes on targets within Russia.

The Gaze also reported that the first group of Ukrainian pilots has completed training on F-16 fighters at the 162nd National Guard Air Base in Tucson, Arizona. Captain Erin Hannigan, spokesperson for the National Guard, confirmed the completion of the training but declined to specify the number of pilots trained, citing operational security concerns. She added that some Ukrainian pilots are still undergoing training in the United States.