‘Dutch F-16s can also be deployed for targets in Russia’
The F-16s that the Netherlands is delivering to Ukraine can be deployed on targets in Russia without permission from the United States. This was stated by outgoing Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot to the ANP news agency. The use is also not limited to the border region near Kharkiv, Bruins Slot reports.
The fighter plane is of American make and the US has long blocked the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine. But Bruins Slot said today, according to ANP, that restrictions on the use of the fighter planes for Ukraine “have never been discussed”.
Bruins Slot is in Prague for a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
US President Biden is said to have secretly given Ukraine permission to use American weapons on Russian territory. But for the time being, this only applied to Russian targets near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. That news came out yesterday, but it is not known when exactly Biden would have given permission.
24 Dutch F-16s
The official did tell the American news site Politico that Ukraine specifically asked for a change in policy after the offensive on Kharkiv began earlier this month. Another source says that the US has made the decision to allow more “flexibility” in the defense of Kharkiv.
Kharkiv is the second city of Ukraine and is located in the northeast of the country, close to the Russian border. The fighting around the city has been intense for some time and the Russians are gaining ground in the area around the city.
“The principle that you may operate on Russian territory when it is in the context of self-defense applies to the F-16s,” said Bruins Slot. That is no different than with other weapons, said the minister. The Netherlands is delivering a total of 24 F-16s to Ukraine.
Disabling bridges
Today, Germany also gave Ukraine permission to use German weapons on Russian territory. Chancellor Olaf Scholz said it was necessary for the country to be able to continue to defend itself sufficiently.
“We are jointly convinced that Ukraine has the right, guaranteed by international law, to defend itself against these attacks,” a spokesperson for Scholz said in a statement.
Ukrainian President Zelensky was in Brussels last Tuesday, where he was once again lobbying for weapons. He also emphasized the importance of being allowed to use weapons as he sees fit.
With the permission he has now received, Ukraine will have more capacity to attack the Russians, said former commander of the land forces Mart de Kruif last night on the NOS radio program Met het Oog op Morgen. “That means you can disrupt the build-up of logistical supplies for an offensive or command posts or units moving forward. You can also take out bridges and railways.”