War in Ukraine: US gives Netherlands green light to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv

The United States gave the Netherlands the green light delivered F-16 aircraft to Ukrainesaid the Dutch Minister of Defense on Friday, in a great tool for Kyiv although the fighters will not have an immediate impact in a war that has lasted almost 18 months.

“I welcome the American decision to clear the way for the delivery of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine. This allows us continue with the training of Ukrainian pilots“, the Minister, Kajsa Ollongren, said in a message on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “We remain in close contact with the European partners to decide the next steps.”

Ukraine He asked for these sophisticated fighters for a long time have a combat advantage. Kyiv recently launched a long-running counter-offensive against Kremlin forces no air coverleaving his troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.

In addition to delivering the fighter jets, Ukraine’s allies will have to train their pilots. Washington says the F-16s, like the Abrams advanced tanks, will be critical in the conflict between Kyiv and Moscow in the long term.

The Netherlands is part of the Western coalition which includes Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and Great Britain, which in July he promised to train Ukrainian pilots to fly fighters.

Washington must give its approval because the planes are made in the USA.

According to Biden, delivery of F16s to Ukraine was a red line who could not cross because they were afraid that the war would spread beyond Ukrainian soil. ,

nonetheless, in May this yearThe President of the United States changed his mind.At the G7 meeting in Hiroshima, Biden informed his peers that he would train Ukrainian pilots to maneuver the F16s. The next step now is when the fighters will be delivered.

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A “milestone” for the Ukrainian defense,

Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra wrote in a message on X (Twitter) that the American authorization to send F-16 to Ukraine. “It marks an important step” in the Ukrainian defense.

For now it was not clear when they will be delivered the first fighters in Ukraine.

In addition to the Netherlands, Denmark said in June that it had begun training Ukrainian pilots and was considering delivery of aircraft to Kiev, but said the pilots would need six to eight months of training before the potential donation of the aircraft would become a reality. .

In a statement to the Danish media, the Minister of Defense Jakob Ellemann-Jensen said that the government has said on several occasions that the donation is “a natural step after training.”

More drones over Moscow

Russian air defense hampered drone attack on central Moscow and on ships in the Black Sea, the authorities said Friday, blaming Ukraine for the incidents.

Defense systems shot down a Ukrainian drone in the center of the capital early on Friday and some of its fragments fell into an exhibition center, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The drone was shot down around 04:00 am and no injuries or fire were reported in the fragments, he added.

nonetheless, the authorities temporarily stopped flights to four main Moscow airports.

The mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin, said some of the fragments fell on the grounds of the Expocentre, an exhibition center adjacent to the business and office complex in Moscow’s financial district that was hit by drones twice in the past month. . .

The area is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) west of the Kremlin. The Defense Ministry called the latest incident “another terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime.”

Naval forces are also destroyed a maritime drone Ukrainian ships are trying to catch up to Russian ships on Thursday night in the Black Sea, some 240 km (150 miles) southwest of Sevastopol, the ministry added.

Authorities said the drone went down in a patrol boat and a corvette.

The claims could not be immediately verified.

AP

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