THE HAGUE, December 22. /TASS/. The Netherlands has decided to prepare 18 F-16 fighter jets for transfer to Ukraine, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said.

"I also informed President Zelensky of our government’s decision," he said on X (formerly Twitter), following phone talks with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. "The delivery of F-16s is one of the most important elements of the agreements made on military support for Ukraine. Besides an export permit, a number of other criteria must also still be met before delivery can take place, including requirements for personnel and infrastructure."

"This decision confirms the Netherlands’ undiminished commitment to providing Ukraine with the support it needs," the prime minister went on to say.

The European Council’s recent decision to start accession talks with Ukraine also came up during the talks, according to Rutte.

"The Netherlands stands ready to help Ukraine as it continues to work on the reforms that the accession process requires," he said.

Also, the Netherlands will "make every effort" to make sure the European Council can come to a decision when it reconvenes in February 2024 to discuss financial support to Ukraine.

The Netherlands, Denmark and several other Western countries are now busy helping train Ukrainian pilots before their planned transfer of a certain number of fighter jets to Ukraine. The Netherlands has 42 aircraft at its disposal, which are gradually being replaced by more modern F-35s. Earlier, Dutch officials said that they were ready to transfer as many as 24 fighter jets to Ukraine, while the rest would be used for training pilots.