Ukraine to receive Danish F-16 jets this summer — Dutch defense minister
Ukraine would receive first F-16 fighter jets this summer, with the first batch of aircraft coming from Denmark, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren told Reuters during her visit to Kyiv on March 20.
“I'm very confident that we will start delivering F-16s this summer,” said Ollongren.
Read also: F-16s for Ukraine: initial batch of six jets ready for July, allies pledge more
The minister added that Ukraine is also set to receive F-16s from the Netherlands in the second half of 2024.
“Denmark [will be] first [to deliver], and we have a schedule ... so in the second half of the year the Dutch F-16s will be going this way.”
She also announced that the Netherlands will spend EUR 150 million ($164 million) to purchase ammunition for the aircraft Ukraine is set to receive.
“We will procure EUR 150 million worth of munition for Ukraine’s F16 jets, directly from the industry,” the minister said in a Twitter post.
Ollongren noted that although Ukraine has many friends in Europe, it would be difficult to continue aiding Ukraine’s defense without U.S. support.
“That would not be easy, and I hope it is not the direction we are going in,” she said.
She added that European ammunition production will be "significantly" increased by the end of the year to prevent the recurrence of the current artillery ammunition shortage Ukraine faces.
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