US, Netherlands, and Denmark Announce F-16 Transfer to Ukraine Now ‘Underway’
The US and several allies also announced they were providing Ukraine with dozens of new air defense systems
The leaders of the US, the Netherlands, and Denmark released a joint statement Wednesday during the ongoing NATO summit in Washington, stating that the transfer of US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine is underway.
“The Danish and Dutch governments are in the process of donating American-made F-16s to Ukraine, with the support of the United States,” the statement reads. “The transfer process for these F-16s is now underway, and Ukraine will be flying operational F-16s this summer.”
The three leaders said Belgium and Norway have also pledged to send jets. According to previous reports, the four European nations have pledged to provide Ukraine with about 60 F-16s, but the training process has been slow, and only a few pilots are expected to be ready this summer.
Ahead of the long-awaited F-16 transfer, Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian airfields, destroying several Soviet-made aircraft. Ukrainian officials have said that to protect their F-16s, they might store some abroad, which could make the NATO bases housing them potential targets for the Russian military.
The F-16 transfer marks a significant escalation of NATO involvement in the proxy war since it will be the first time Ukraine receives Western-made fighter jets. Russia has made clear it views the move as a major provocation and has noted the F-16s are capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
On Tuesday, the first day of the NATO summit, the leaders of the US, the Netherlands, Germany, Romania, and Ukraine released a joint statement on a plan for the alliance to provide dozens of new air defenses.
“Today, we are announcing that, collectively, we are providing Ukraine with additional strategic air defense systems, including additional Patriot batteries donated by the United States, Germany, and Romania; Patriot components donated by the Netherlands and other partners to enable the operation of an additional Patriot battery; and an additional SAMP-T system donated by Italy,” the statement reads.
The leaders added that in the coming months, “The United States and partners intend to provide Ukraine with dozens of tactical air defense systems, including NASAMS, HAWKs, IRIS T-SLM, IRIS T-SLS, and Gepard systems.”
In a speech on Tuesday night, President Biden declared strong support for NATO and the continuation of the proxy war in Ukraine.
https://news.antiwar.com/2024/07/10/us-netherlands-and-denmark-announce-f-16-transfer-to-ukraine-now-underway/