President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that the Dutch government will send an initial 18 F-16 jets to Ukraine.
This came following a phone conversation with the Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte.
Zelenskyy disclosed on X that he and Rutte discussed frontline developments, the situation in the Black Sea, and Ukraine’s current military needs, including artillery, drones, and air defence.
The leaders agreed to continue their joint work on security guarantees following the G7 Vilnius Declaration.
They also discussed the next Peace Formula meeting and efforts to further consolidate international support for the Ukrainian vision of a just peace.
“Today I informed President Zelenskiy of our government’s decision to prepare an initial 18 F-16 fighter aircraft for delivery to Ukraine,” Rutte affirmed on X.
He emphasized that the delivery of F-16s is one of the most important elements of the agreements made on military support for Ukraine.
The delivery of the fighter jets is still pending on an export permit by the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs and the fulfillment of criteria for staff and infrastructure in Ukraine, Rutte added without giving a timeline for these decisions.
Nonetheless, the announcement made it possible to reserve funds and people to prepare the planes for delivery.
In their meeting, Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the Dutch Council of Ministers for the decision to prepare the initial 18 F-16 fighter jets for their delivery to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy thanked Rutte for the active stance of the Netherlands regarding the opening of negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU.
He also highlighted the importance of providing €50 billion in long-term EU assistance for Ukraine as soon as possible.
“This decision will not only contribute to bolstering our defense and macroeconomic resilience, but also demonstrate the unwavering support of the European Union and may become a driver for similar decisions by other partners of ours,” Zelenskyy said.
Rutte added in his X post, “I’m impressed with Ukraine’s progress so far, and the Netherlands stands ready to help Ukraine as it continues to work on the reforms that the accession process requires.”
“I also assured President Zelenskyy that the Netherlands will make every effort to ensure agreement is reached at the European Council meeting in February 2024 on financial support from the EU,” he wrote.
Polish Foreign Minister Visits Kyiv
In other developments, Polish Foreign Minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, on his first official foreign visit, arrived in Kyiv on Friday to present an aid package for Ukraine.
Poland has been involved in humanitarian and military assistance for neighbouring Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Poland also welcomed millions of Ukrainian refugees.
“This is an important visit because he is the first politician of this rank to appear in Kyiv after the EU’s decision to start the accession process with Ukraine and Moldova,” a ministry spokesperson, Pawel Wronski, was quoted by a news agency as saying.
All 27 EU states except Hungary agreed last week to start accession talks with Ukraine.
Sikorski will also meet the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the spokesperson said.
“The minister is preparing and presenting an aid package for Ukraine, as well as an idea for cooperation and political support,” he noted.
He added, “Poland cannot only be a military hub, but should also be an economic and political hub for Ukraine. The minister will declare support for Ukrainian aspirations and for Ukraine’s preparations for EU membership.”
One problem that has overshadowed Polish-Ukrainian relations in recent weeks is the issue of grain from Ukraine and a blockade of several border crossings by truck drivers.
the Ukrainian ministry said on the Telegram messenger app on Friday that the countries’ farm ministers held online talks.
READ ALSO: U.S To Sanction Foreign Banks That Support Russia Militarily
