The Netherlands to start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s as early as this summer - defense chief

That’s according to the Dutch Defense Minister, Kajsa Ollongren, who broke the news while answering the questions of Ukrainian journalists during her visit to the Dutch rehabilitation center where Ukrainian soldiers undergo rehabilitation, an Ukrinform correspondent in The Hague reports

“We want to start the training on the fighter jet as soon as possible. We don't have an exact date. I cannot give it to you now, but we are very ambitious. We want to start as soon as possible,” she said.

She noted the importance of an efficient air defense system for the embattled nation, including short-term and long-term capabilities.

The minister admitted that the F-16s are a “really complex weapon system” so the Netherlands seeks to start training Ukrainian pilots “as soon as possible” and to complete it “as quickly as possible.”

At the same time, she acknowledged that Ukrainian servicemen are "very fast learners.”

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Denmark has announced readiness to provide F-16s to Ukraine on the condition that the U.S. approves such a handover.