MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th February, 2023) Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday that the Netherlands was inclined to support the idea of fighter jet supplies to Kiev, but he was not yet ready to discuss the issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, since at the moment, such talks would not help reach an agreement on the shipments with other Western allies.
Earlier in the day, Rutte arrived in Kiev to meet with Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to discuss further military support for Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president, in turn, expressed hope that the issue of fighter jet supplies would soon be resolved.
"The issue of fighter jets is more complicated than the 'tank coalition.' We will surely work on this coalition (of countries willing to send jets to Ukraine). We have started discussions on training ... We will hope that we will achieve a certain result on this matter," Zelenskyy said.
On Thursday, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Vadym Prystaiko said Kiev would receive Western fighter jets at a later stage of the conflict and after current military needs are sorted out.
Kiev has long been asking the US and other NATO allies for F-16 fighter jets to bolster its forces amid Russia's special military operation. Politico reported in January, citing sources, that a group of US military officials was quietly lobbying for the delivery of F-16s to Kiev and that it was gathering momentum in the US Defense Department amid Ukraine's preparations for a planned offensive this spring.
