Ukraine needs additional maintenance equipment, spare parts and ammunition for its F-16 fighter jets, and the Netherlands will help provide them, Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten said.
“President Volodymyr Zelensky and I and I spoke about the latest developments in the war. Further strengthening of Ukraine's air defenses is literally a matter of life and death. For instance, Ukraine needs more maintenance, spare parts, and ammunition for their F-16 fleet. I have pledged that the Netherlands will help Ukraine with this,” Jetten wrote on X following his conversation with Zelensky.
Zelensky, in turn, noted that F-16s provided to Ukraine by the Netherlands account for a significant share of intercepted jet-powered Shahed drones and that there are opportunities to support their operations with the necessary equipment and supplies.
“We also discussed other ideas for protecting critical infrastructure and strengthening air defence. I am grateful for the willingness to help,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram following the conversation.
He also briefed Jetten on contacts with the US team and potential trilateral meetings at the technical level between Ukraine, the United States and Russia.
“Realistic proposals that can bring peace closer are important. But Russia must take negotiations seriously and stop looking for more and more excuses to prolong the war,” Zelensky wrote.
The Ukrainian president thanked the prime minister and the Netherlands for their consistently strong support.
Jetten said that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine continues to intensify.
“We saw this again this weekend, including through air strikes on Kyiv. Russia is deliberately targeting civilian facilities and energy infrastructure, seeking to make Ukrainian cities uninhabitable and destroy the economy this winter. We cannot allow this to happen,” the Dutch prime minister wrote.
