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Ukraine will receive 42 coveted fourth-generation F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands and Denmark, the Dutch and Ukrainian leaders said on Sunday, marking the first time fighter jets made in the West have been guaranteed to the war-torn country.
"Mark Rutte and I agreed on the number of F-16s that will be provided to Ukraine after training our pilots and engineers is completed. 42 planes," Zelensky said in a statement posted to social media, referring to the prime minister of the Netherlands along with a picture of the two leaders smiling together. "And this is just the beginning," he added.
Ukraine has long requested advanced fighter jets, such as the U.S. F-16s, from its Western allies, but this is the first time Ukraine has received a confirmation that the jets will arrive in Ukrainian territory. The aircraft are a significant upgrade from the Soviet-era fleet it has been using throughout its war effort, now into into its 18th month.
But Kyiv's international backers had been reluctant to supply F-16s to Ukraine, which mark a longer-term, more expensive commitment to Kyiv than previous military aid packages. Although several countries had committed to helping train Ukrainian pilots and crew, NATO countries had dragged their feet when it came to pledging the advanced platforms.
Speaking in a joint press conference with Zelensky, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said the Netherlands and Denmark were committing to sending F-16s to Ukraine, "including cooperation with the United States and other partners once the conditions for such a transfer have been met."
"Conditions include, but are not limited to, successfully selected, tested and trained Ukrainian F-16 personnel, as well as necessary authorizations, infrastructure and logistics," Denmark's Defense Ministry added in a statement. "We invite other interested nations to participate." It has not been announced when the jets will arrive in Ukraine.
Ukrainian Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, indicated on Friday that the U.S. had given the "green light" to the Netherlands and Denmark to send F-16s, following training programs for Ukrainian personnel. A U.S. official said on Thursday that Washington had approved the decision for the two European nations to send the jets after personnel completed training.
Reznikov then said on Saturday that Ukrainian pilots had begun training on F-16s, but that they would require at least six months to get to grips with the sophisticated platforms.
F-16s are not the only Western-made jets Ukraine has asked for, although the Lockheed Martin-made aircraft were quickly singled out as the most practical choice for the country. Experts had suggested the Swedish-made Gripen jet would be an ideal option for Ukraine, although far fewer of these have been made compared to the F-16s, which are operated by numerous airforces around the world.
"Now, we have a breakthrough result regarding Gripen fighters—cool, modern Swedish combat aircraft," Zelensky said in his evening address on Saturday. "Our soldiers are already starting to test them," he said, adding: "And we are, step by step, negotiation by negotiation, we are getting closer to the fact that Gripen fighters will appear in our sky."
Update 08/20/23 at 10:45 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
About the writer
Ellie Cook is a Newsweek security and defense reporter based in London, U.K. Her work focuses largely on the Russia-Ukraine ... Read more