Netherlands to Allocate €271 Million for shells for Ukraine and Approve F-16 Use on Military Targets in Russia

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said that the Netherlands will allocate €271 million for large-calibre artillery shells for Ukraine.

He wrote about this on the social network X.

‘Denmark, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands are committed to jointly supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. A year ago we launched an initiative to supply ammunition, and today we are taking the next important step. We will supply more large-calibre artillery ammunition. The Netherlands will provide €271 million for artillery shells. By doing so, we will help Ukraine with the supply of ammunition in 2025 and encourage the European defence industry to further expand,’ the statement said.

For his part, Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans reiterated that Ukraine can use the F-16 fighter jets transferred by the Netherlands for defence purposes  in accordance with international law. He said this in a comment to journalists before the meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels on 17 October.

‘We have delivered our first batch of F-16s. They are now in Ukrainian airspace. And we have always said that Ukraine must comply with international law. And international law does not contain any distance restrictions. International law does not stop at the border or 100 kilometres from the border. That's why we allow Ukraine to use F-16s in self-defence. This may be necessary to intercept missiles or to strike, for example, at Russian airfields. So, military purposes. And this is also allowed to be done on the territory of Russia or in Russian airspace,’ Brekelmans stressed.

He also noted that the issue of support for Ukraine is key.

‘I think supporting Ukraine is a key priority these days. I was in Kharkiv and Kyiv ten days ago, and the situation both on the frontline and in big cities like Kharkiv is very worrying. So I think we need to step up our efforts. Secondly, we need to talk about strengthening our defence and deterrence, because the Russian threat is only growing, not only in the short term, but also in the long term,’ said the Dutch Defence Minister.