Asked whether the Netherlands would send fighter jets to Ukraine, Mr Rutte told a press conference that no final decision had been made, but added: “If you start training then obviously it is something you are seriously considering.” Earlier this week, the Netherlands said it wanted to start training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16s as soon as possible.
US-made F-16 fighter jet. Photo: Wiki
Any decision to send F-16s would depend on the approval of the United States, which is delivering the fighters, Mr Rutte said. He added that the Netherlands was likely to send fighter jets to Ukraine as it was phasing out its F-16s.
According to figures from the Dutch Ministry of Defense, the country currently has 24 F-16s in service, which will be phased out by mid-2024. Another 18 fighters are currently up for sale, of which 12 have been sold provisionally.
Last Friday, US President Joe Biden endorsed programs to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured Mr. Biden that the planes would not be used to enter Russian territory.
Also on Friday, the German army ordered 18 new Leopard 2 tanks to replace those sent to Ukraine earlier this year. Leading defense company Kraus-Maffei Wegmann said the contract for the Leopard 2A8 tanks had been signed with the federal office for military equipment. Earlier, the German parliament's budget committee approved a budget of around 525 million euros on Wednesday.
German Army Leopard 2 tank. Photo: AP
Deliveries of the new tanks are expected to begin in 2025, Kraus-Maffei Wegmann said, adding that the deal includes options for another 105 Leopard 2A8 tanks. The company will also produce 12 new self-propelled guns for the German army as part of the deal agreed in March.
Germany's defense minister is pushing to buy new tanks as quickly as possible after the country agreed in late January to supply 14 Leopard 2A6 battle tanks to Ukraine.
A few weeks later, that number rose to 18 when Germany and other countries pooled together two battalions of Leopard 2 tanks to send to Kiev. Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands also agreed to supply Ukraine with Leopard 1 tanks, an older model that the German army had not used in two decades.
Bui Huy (according to AP, Reuters, CNA)
Source
Comment (0)