Netherlands delivers final two promised F-16’s for training Ukrainian pilots

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Netherlands has handed the final two of 18 promised F-16 fighter jets to a training facility in Romania, where Ukrainian pilots and ground staff are being taught to fly and maintain the planes in battle, the Dutch Defence ministry said on Wednesday.

The Netherlands, which has also promised to deliver 24 F-16s directly to Ukraine, has been one of the driving forces behind an international coalition to supply Ukraine with F-16s to strengthen its air defence against the Russian invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has previously called the donation a “breakthrough” that would strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and aid its counter-offensive.

The Dutch government announced in September that it would increase defence spending by more than 10% next year, citing Russia’s Ukraine invasion.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout. Editing by Jane Merriman)