The Netherlands will allow the Ukrainian air force to use its 24 F-16 fighter jets to carry out strikes in Russia, while the United States considers allowing Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to directly bomb Russian territory.
This was confirmed by the Dutch Minister of Defense, Kajsa Ollongren, who, in an interview with Politico This weekend, he said there was no ‘Belgian-style restriction’, referring to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo’s warning that kyiv will not fly F-16 jets coming from Belgium into Russian airspace.
Furthermore, Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot said that this decision does not require permission from the United States, even though it produces F-16s.
The use of the planes is also not limited to the border region near Kharkiv, as is the case with American weapons.
Ollengren was among senior officials who met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, an independent think tank attended by defense ministers, permanent heads of ministries and military chiefs.
Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren confirmed that the Netherlands will allow the Ukrainian air force to use its 24 F-16 fighter jets to carry out strikes in Russia, Politico reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a press conference after the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Sunday. Zelenskyy urged a group of senior defense officials at Asia’s main security conference on Sunday to attend an upcoming peace summit, saying Ukraine was ready to listen to “various proposals and thoughts” on ending the war with Russia. .
“We are applying the same principle that we have applied to any other delivery of capabilities, that is, once we deliver them to Ukraine, they will be able to use them,” Ollongren said.
“We only ask that you respect international law and the right to self-defense as established in the UN Charter, which means that you use it to achieve the military objectives that you need to achieve in your self-defense,” Ollongren added.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force.
This comes a few days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested that the US is contemplating allowing Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to directly attack Russian territory, given the changing dynamics on the battlefield in Ukraine.
It is the first time a senior Biden administration official has indicated there could be a possible policy change.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed for the United States Air Force.
Until now, the United States had prohibited Ukraine from using American weapons, such as ATACMS missiles, against Russian territory.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also suggested that “the time has come to consider whether it will be right to lift some of the restrictions.”
“If they cannot attack military targets on Russian territory, then the Ukrainians have one hand tied behind their back and it is very difficult for them to carry out defense,” Stoltenberg said at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Blinken carefully chose his words during a meeting with the president of Moldova and wanted to make clear that the United States did not encourage or allow attacks on Russian territory.
He said Ukraine “has to make its own decisions about how best to defend itself effectively.” “We will make sure you have the equipment you need to do it.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has suggested that the US is contemplating allowing Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons to directly attack Russian territory.
More than two years after the deadliest war in Europe since World War II, Western allies are debating how to stop Russian military advances, as Putin increasingly raises the risk of global war. Pictured is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on a trip to Portugal last week.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, seen here with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has also indicated that it could be time for a policy change.
Ukrainian soldiers hold a national flag over the coffin of Ukrainian soldier Ruslan Troianchuk, with the callsign “Friend”, who was killed in the Donetsk region.
Ukrainian soldiers carry the coffin of the Ukrainian soldier killed in the Donetsk region
Military investigators work at the site of the damaged building that houses the Paradise restaurant following an attack in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine, earlier this month.
Western allies are debating how to stop Russian military advances, while Russian President Vladimir Putin increasingly raises the risk of global war.
“Another hallmark of our support for Ukraine over these, now, more than two years, has been adapting as conditions have changed and the battlefield has changed, as what Russia does has changed in terms of how it conducts carry out their aggression and escalation,” Blinken. saying.
Biden administration officials have said a policy change is being considered, but a decision has not yet been made.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry had warned in September 2022 that if the United States became involved, it would “cross a red line” and be considered a “direct party to the conflict” in the eyes of the Kremlin if it began supplying larger missiles. reach kyiv.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of the threat of global conflict if kyiv’s Western allies allow him to use weapons they have supplied to attack inside Russia, something Ukraine’s government is urging its partners to allow.
The United States, which is kyiv’s largest arms supplier, approved a $61 billion aid package in April after months of delays that exacerbated a shortage of artillery shells.