Nederland gaat binnen twee weken F-16 straaljagers leveren aan Oekraïne

Jippie

Nederland wil Oekraïne binnen twee weken voorzien van de beloofde F-16 straaljagers. De machines zouden over twee weken bij het trainingscentrum in Roemenië staan, maakte premier Mark Rutte maandag bekend op platform X – voorheen Twitter. 

Oekraïense piloten zullen in Roemenië voor deze machines worden opgeleid. “Dit betekent dat de opleiding van Oekraïense piloten snel kan beginnen”, schreef Rutte. Rutte verzekerde de Oekraïense president Volodimir Zelenski van de Nederlandse steun. “De verschrikkelijke situatie in Israël en Gaza leidt ons hier niet van af.”

Nederland, Denemarken en Noorwegen hadden F-16-leveringen aan Oekraïne beloofd. Volgens de huidige status zullen er meer dan 50 vliegtuigen aan het land ter beschikking worden gesteld. Het is nog onduidelijk wanneer de straaljagers daadwerkelijk door Oekraïne kunnen worden ingezet. 

De gehele tekst uit de tweet van Rutte:

"The Netherlands will continue to support Ukraine in the face of continued Russian aggression, as much and for as long as necessary. The devastating situation in Israel and Gaza will not divert our attention away from Ukraine. The existential need to push back against Russian aggression is still our priority, both for Ukraine and for the security of Europe as a whole. I confirmed this once again to President @ZelenskyyUa today during a video conference.

The Netherlands is supporting Ukraine on several fronts. This weekend talks began in Malta between the Netherlands and international partners on long-term security arrangements for Ukraine. The focus will be on security and defence, including strengthening Ukraine’s air defences.

I was also able to inform President Zelensky that the F-16s the Netherlands pledged in order to strengthen Ukrainian air defences will arrive at the training centre in Romania in two weeks’ time. That means that the training courses for the Ukrainian pilots who will fly them can start shortly.

We also discussed the progress on establishing an alternative corridor for exporting grain via the Black Sea. The Netherlands will provide Ukraine with patrol boats in order to keep this route secure. We recently held talks on this subject in the port city of Odesa.

The atrocities that Russia has committed must not be forgotten. In order ensure this, the Netherlands remains involved in investigating Russia’s crimes. A fourth Dutch forensic mission is currently in Ukraine, under the auspices of the International Criminal Court, gathering evidence of war crimes."