Ukrainian officials have been stressing for months their need for modern combat planes to replace their aging Soviet-era MiG and Sukhoi jets and better defend the country’s skies against Russia’s invasion.
In June, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren told POLITICO that Ukraine would be able to use the F-16s donated by the Netherlands to strike targets on Russian territory.
Several Western countries, including NATO heavyweights France and the United States, have started training Ukrainian pilots on the F-16s, with Kyiv pressing its allies to accelerate the pace of training. Paris has also pledged to provide Ukraine with its own Mirage 2000 veteran fighter jets.
