Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans has confirmed that the first batch of F-16 fighter jets promised to Kiev from the Netherlands has been delivered.
Brekelmans visited Kiev and Kharkov on Sunday, where he unveiled new details of his country’s military aid to Ukraine. A member of the so-called ‘F-16 coalition’, the Netherlands promised to donate 24 US-made aircraft to the Ukrainian Air Force more than a year ago, although no strict timeline was given.
“For the first time, I can officially announce that the first Dutch F-16s have been delivered to Ukraine,” the defense minister wrote on X.
He added that Amsterdam will invest €400 million ($439 million) into developing high-tech drones for the Ukrainian military.
“This involves all kinds of advanced drones that can be used for reconnaissance, defense and attack. Especially in the air, but also on land and sea,” he said in a statement published on the Defense Ministry’s website on Sunday.
Brekelmans underscored the importance of drones in modern warfare, and noted that the development of drone systems is going at “lightning speed.”
“We don’t have the luxury of taking a long time; it’s about making speed. Procure prototypes, test them quickly and scale up production quickly,” he said.
About half of the money will be spent in the Netherlands, while the rest will be shared between Ukraine and other states, Brekelmans told Reuters during his trip.
Officials in Kiev insist that F-16s are necessary to level the playing field in terms of aerial capabilities and to counter air raids from Russia. Ukraine has also reportedly complained about the pace of training for its pilots in the US. Kiev lost its first F-16 during a combat mission in August.
The Netherlands has provided Ukraine with more than €3.76 billion ($4.12 billion) in military aid since 2022. Earlier this year, Amsterdam announced that it would assemble a Patriot air defense missile system for Ukraine. However, the authorities have struggled to source spare parts from other countries, Brekelmans told Reuters.
Moscow has warned that no amount of foreign aid will change the outcome of the conflict and will only raise the risk of a direct clash between Russia and NATO.