The Netherlands will begin supplying Ukraine with promised components of Patriot air-defense systems “very soon,” the country’s defense minister told RFE/RL on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington.
“As for the parts of the Patriot system that we are supplying, I can say that we will supply them very soon,” Defense Minister Ruben Bekelmans said on July 10. “As for the F-16s…I can’t announce any specific dates. We know that the Russians and [President Vladimir] Putin are also interested in when these F-16s will be delivered.”
Bekelmans added the advanced fighter jets will be provided “as soon as possible.”
He also said his country and NATO allies were “working hard to open a European training center in Romania” to prepare Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16s.
Norway on July 10 said it would begin providing the six F-16s it has pledged to Ukraine “in 2024.”
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NATO Allies Map Out Commitments To Ukraine, 'Irreversible' Path To Membership
On July 10, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that “the transfer of F-16 jets is under way.”
On July 9, the Netherlands joined the United States, Germany, Italy, and Romania in a pledge to provide much-needed air-defense capabilities to Ukraine. Daily Russian drone and missile attacks have pummeled the country and caused considerable damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the pledges “a clear signal that Russia’s ability to terrorize Ukrainian people, cities, and communities will continue to reduce.”
Zelenskiy told a conference in Berlin on June 11 that Ukraine needs at least seven additional Patriot systems to protect its urban population centers.
When Zelenskiy arrived in Washington for the July 9-11 NATO summit, he told journalists his delegation would focus on acquiring additional air defenses and fighter-jet capabilities.
The summit is expected to discuss a proposal to provide Ukraine with 40 billion euros ($43 billion) in military aid in 2025 after member states could not agree on a multiyear military-aid package proposed earlier by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.