Netherlands and UK will lead “international coalition” to provide Ukraine with F-16s

The prime ministers of the Netherlands and Great Britain, Mark Rutte and Rishi Sunak, agreed to work on forming an international coalition of fighter jets for Ukraine.

Rubryka reports, referring to the head of the Office of the President, Andrii Yermak.

According to Yermak, Britain and the Netherlands are ready to support Ukraine in everything, from pilot training to purchasing F16 aircraft. He thanked the allies for the decision to work in this direction, particularly in training Ukrainian pilots.

"Belgium has confirmed its willingness to train. The Prime Minister of Great Britain also confirmed his belief that Ukraine's place is in NATO. The leaders of Great Britain and the Netherlands agreed on the importance of allies providing long-term security support to Ukraine," Yermak emphasized.

As Rubryka reported, the British government confirmed the agreement to create a coalition to provide Ukraine with F-16s. A Downing Street spokesperson said Sunak and Rutte "would work to build an international coalition to provide Ukraine with combat air capabilities, supporting with everything from training to procuring F-16 jets."

The Netherlands previously announced that they're considering transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and are negotiating with their allies.

On May 15, it became known that Britain would begin training Ukrainian pilots in the summer of 2023. Along with pilot training, the UK will continue cooperation with other countries to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets. Poland also announced its readiness to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighters.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense revealed the number of F-16 fighters that the Ukrainian Air Force hopes to receive from allies. Ukraine has been trying to acquire these planes for quite some time now to boost its small air force, which currently uses Soviet-standard planes. These planes are quite popular and are currently used in 25 countries, making them easily available.