Ukraine said it expects new delivery of F-16 fighter jets from the Netherlands

Ukraine is expecting a new batch of F-16 fighter-bombers from the Netherlands. This was announced by the country's Defense Minister Rustam Umerov after a meeting with his Dutch counterpart Ruben Brekelmans on Friday, January 31.

"The main priority is the F-16 program. We expect the next batch of aircraft to be handed over in 2025, we continue training pilots, engineering and technical staff," the minister wrote on his Facebook page (part of Meta, an organization recognized as extremist and banned in Russia).

Umerov named drones as the second priority, noting that the Ukrainian side with the Netherlands coordinated the distribution of the previously announced €400 million and the preparation of projects on long-range capabilities.

The green transition in the West has come to a standstill. And here's why

Earlier, on January 9, it became known that the Netherlands purchased for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) artillery shells of 155 mm caliber for more than €1 billion. The country also provided F-16 fighter jets, contracts and funding for drones. The total amount of support amounted to €2 billion.

Before that, on October 11, 2024, Brekelmans said that the country had allocated approximately €10.4 billion in military support for Ukraine over the entire time. On October 6, he confirmed that the first of the 24 F-16 aircraft promised by the country had already been delivered to Kiev. Among other things, the Dutch defense ministry said that the kingdom is a pioneer in the development of drones and is ready to invest €400m in the development of Ukrainian drones.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Kiev against the background of Russia's special operation to protect Donbas, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.