"For the first time, I can officially announce that the first Dutch F-16s have been delivered to Ukraine ... The rest of the 24 jets will follow in the coming months," Brekelmans wrote on X following his trip to Kiev and Kharkov.
It was previously reported that the Royal Netherlands Air Force would retire all of its aging F-16 fighter jets and replace them with newer F-35s. The old F-16s, which The Hague had decided to donate to Ukraine, were part of this transition. In total, the country has pledged to send 24 F-16s to Kiev, although the Dutch authorities have not disclosed how many of these aircraft have been delivered so far.
The Dutch Ministry of Defense also planned to send 18 of these jets to a training center in Romania, where Ukrainian pilots would learn how to operate F-16s.
Russia views the supply of arms to Ukraine as an obstacle to resolution, stating that it directly involves NATO countries in the conflict and is "playing with fire." The Kremlin has asserted that the West's armament of Ukraine hinders negotiations and will have a negative impact.