Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren announced the delivery confirmation via the X social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“We welcome the US approval of the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. This allows us to complete the training of Ukrainian pilots,” Ollongren said, adding that they are in contact with their European partners for next steps.
Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra also thanked his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, for the cooperation, and said, “This step is an important milestone for Ukraine to defend its own people and country.”
For the supply of F-16s to Ukraine, the countries led by the Netherlands and Denmark agreed in May to train Ukrainian pilots for the US-made F-16 warplanes widely used in NATO.