Dutch government grants Ukraine permission to use F-16s for strikes inside Russia
The Netherlands has allowed Ukraine to conduct strikes deep into Russian territory, using weapons it supplied, including F-16 fighter jets. Ukraine's right to self-defense, as acknowledged by Dutch officials, "doesn't end 100 km from the border."
Ukraine may use Dutch-supplied weapons to target Russian military installations inside Russia, said Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
"Kyiv has the right to self-defense. If attacks are launched from border regions or Russian airfields, Ukraine can target military installations within Russia. This also applies to enemy missiles, which can be intercepted with our weapons even over Russian territory," stated Brekelmans.
He urged other Ukrainian allies to follow this example, stressing that such actions comply with international law. According to him, international law does not limit the range of defensive strikes.
"The right to self-defense does not end 100 kilometers from the border. We have not placed any restrictions on Ukraine regarding operational range. This also applies to the F-16 fighter jets that the Netherlands has provided to Ukraine," added Brekelmans.
Previously, the Chief of the Dutch Armed Forces, Onno Eichelsheim, stated that Kyiv has full freedom to use F-16s without any flight range restrictions, as long as the laws of war are observed.
Recently, the Netherlands announced that it would provide technical equipment and spare parts for F-16 fighters, as well as air-to-air missiles to Ukraine.