Ukraine has been given permission by the Netherlands to strike within Russian territory using its newly-acquired F-16 fighter jets, according to the most senior officer in the Dutch military.
Last month, the first batch of F-16 jets were sent to Ukraine from NATO members Denmark and the Netherlands, in an effort to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences against Russia. So far, 24 such jets have been provided to the Ukrainians by the Netherlands. In total around 65 of the jets have been pledged by various NATO militaries since August 2023, when US President Joe Biden authorised willing European member states to send the planes to Ukraine.
Speaking to Dutch outlet NOS this week, Netherlands’ Chief of Defence Onno Eichelsheim confirmed that the Dutch jets can be used by Ukraine without restriction on range, including within Russian territory.
“We have not placed any restrictions on the use and range of the F-16, provided that the laws of war are adhered to,” Eichelsheim said.
The news comes amid an ongoing Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory that began in early August, which has seen Ukrainian soldiers cover 777 square kilometres of the Russian Kursk region. While Kiev has insisted that they do not intend to keep the territory they have captured to date, they are reportedly digging in to hold it for some time.
According to Eichelsheim, the attack has been “brilliant in practical terms”, and has created a “dilemma” for Russian President Vladimir Putin, where the captured territory can be used as a “bargaining chip” to force negotiations.
However, Putin has consistently maintained that any potential negotiation or deal between the warring nations must start with Ukraine’s acceptance of “realities on the ground,” which he claims would involve Russia annexing certain parts of eastern Ukraine which Moscow claims to be ethnically Russian, as well as holding onto Crimea.