Ekaterina Girnyk11:39, 30.08.24

The Netherlands did not impose any restrictions on the use or range of the F-16.

The Netherlands does not restrict Ukraine’s use of the  F-16 fighter jets transferred to it , including in Russian airspace, the Commander of the Armed Forces, Onno Eichelsheim, told NOS.

“We have not imposed any restrictions on the use and range of the F-16, provided that the laws of war are observed,” he said.

He also noted that Ukraine’s invasion of Russian territory was “brilliant from a practical point of view.”

“They took over a lot of territory quite quickly using new methods. In doing so, they created a dilemma for Putin,” Eichelsheim says.

He sees no problem with Dutch weapons being used in such offensive actions.

“Ukraine can use the resources we provide as it wishes, provided that the humanitarian law of war is respected,” says the commander of the Dutch Armed Forces.

The Netherlands has provided 24 F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, but Eichelsheim did not say how many of them are already deployed in the country.

He also assessed the Kursk operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

The question now, Eichelsheim said, is how Ukraine can “strategically” use its presence in Kursk.

According to him, Kyiv can use this as a bargaining chip in negotiations.

“Or you use it to ensure that Russia withdraws from the Donbas region. We don’t see the latter happening, so time will tell us to what extent this has a strategic impact,” he added.

According to Eichelsheim, the Kursk operation is “at least the beginning of a possible strategic adjustment in the struggle between Russia and Ukraine.”

F-16 in Ukraine

At the end of July, it became known that  the first F-16 aircraft  from the Netherlands arrived in Ukraine. According to media reports, six fighters arrived in Ukraine.

Ukraine is expected to receive 20 aircraft by the end of this year.

Ukraine is already using F-16s. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, these aircraft shot down Russian cruise missiles during the latest large-scale Russian attack. At the same time, as Forbes writes, the F-16s will subsequently target fighters and air defense batteries of the Russian Air Force .

(C)UNIAN 2024