Netherlands approves f‑16 use for Ukrainian strikes on Russia
Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren said in an interview with Politico that the Netherlands will permit Ukraine to use the F-16 fighter jets it has provided for attacks on targets within Russian territory.
Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren assured Kyiv that the "24 F-16 fighter jets that the Netherlands plans to send to Ukraine can be used to attack targets in Russia."
F-16s for Kyiv. Russia has reasons to be concerned
In an interview with "Politico" during the Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore, Ollongren stated that the Netherlands would not impose restrictions, unlike Belgium. The Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo warned Kyiv not to "fly F-16 jets received from his country in Russian airspace."
"There are no Belgian-style restrictions," said Ollongren. "We apply the same principle we have applied to every other delivery of capability, which states that once we hand it over to Ukraine, they will be able to use it," she said.
"We only ask them to comply with international law and the right to self-defence as enshrined in the United Nations Charter, which means they use them to achieve military objectives that must be achieved in self-defence," Ollongren said.
Ollongren and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin were among the high-level officials who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and attended Sunday's conference in Singapore.
