The USA, Denmark and the Netherlands plan to transfer F-16 squadrons to Ukraine
Denmark and the Netherlands have begun transferring F-16 fighter jets to Kiev, US Secretary of State Blinken said. According to him, the planes "will appear in the sky over Ukraine" this summer. As the leaders of the countries explained, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will receive "squadrons of modern F-16 multi-purpose aircraft of the fourth generation," exactly how many is not specified. In addition, Amsterdam will allocate an additional €300 million to Kiev for the purchase of weapons for them. Both Denmark and the Netherlands had previously allowed the Armed Forces of Ukraine to use aircraft for strikes against Russia.
The authorities of Denmark and the Netherlands have already begun to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinkenna told a Public NATO Forum in Washington.
At the same time, the head of the State Department did not specify exactly how many planes Kiev would receive. Subsequently, the White House press service issued a joint statement by the leaders of Denmark, the Netherlands and the United States, according to which Western countries plan to provide Ukraine with entire squadrons of F-16 fighter jets.
"We are committed to further building up the military air potential of Ukraine, which will include squadrons of modern F-16 multi-purpose aircraft of the fourth generation," the statement said.
€300 million for armaments
As noted in a joint statement by American President Joe Biden, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schof, the coalition of Western countries plans to provide assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine to support fighter jets in working order and continue training pilots.
In addition, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced that Amsterdam will additionally allocate €300 million to Kiev for the purchase of weapons for F-16 fighters. This amount, as the defense ministry drew attention to, is allocated in addition to € 150 million, "which were previously reserved for the purchase of F-16 weapons."
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, commenting on the news about the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine, said that plans for the supply of F-16s show that the United States is leading a "gang of war."
Strikes against Russia are allowed
Back in August 2023, Washington approved the transfer of its F-16s from Denmark and the Netherlands to Ukraine upon completion of training for Ukrainian pilots. The United States also agreed to train Ukrainian pilots to control these fighters.
On May 30, 2024, the head of the Danish Foreign Ministry, Lars Lecke Rasmussen, said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would be able to use F-16 fighters transferred by Denmark to strike targets in Russia. He noted that this is not a new position of Copenhagen, and this condition has been discussed from the very beginning.
Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren also announced on June 3 that Amsterdam does not prohibit the Armed Forces of Ukraine from using the transferred F-16s to hit targets in Russia.
In total, Kiev expects to receive over 100 fighters - so many combat vehicles are required to completely replace the Soviet fleet and gain an advantage over the Russian Armed Forces in the sky, said Yuri Ignat, ex-representative of the AFU Air Force command.
In June 2023, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the plans to transfer the F-16 to the Armed Forces a movement "along the so-called escalation ladder." He noted that one of the modifications of these aircraft can carry nuclear weapons and Russia will keep this in mind.
Anastasia Novikova
