The Netherlands and Denmark will transfer an unspecified number of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine after the conditions for the transfer are met, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Sunday during the stay of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in the Netherlands, Reuters reports. However, Zelensky announced on Twitter that Ukraine will receive 42 fighter jets.

The commitment is the first real promise to supply F-16s to Ukraine’s armed forces, and comes days after the United States approved the possible delivery of the fighter jets by the Netherlands and Denmark.

The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, says that he cannot name the number of planes that his country has delivered to Ukraine, but it has 42 planes in stock.

“Today we took another step to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense. F-16. These planes will be used to prevent Russian terrorists from entering Ukrainian cities. Mark Rutte and I have reached an agreement on the number of F-16s to be transferred to Ukraine after our pilots and engineers complete their training. 42 planes. And this is just the beginning. Thank you, Netherlands!” Zelensky wrote on Twitter.

The Netherlands, along with Denmark, in recent months led an international effort to train Ukrainian pilots for the F-16 and eventually supplied the planes to help counter air superiority in Russia, whose forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Reuters noted.

By the way, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov stated in an interview with Ukrainian mass media that Ukrainian pilots have started training on F-16 fighter jets.

“(F-16) training has begun,” Reznikov said, adding that a number of Ukrainian engineers and technicians are also training with the pilots.

Reznikov said that he would not say how long the training would last, but clarified that “the minimum training period is six months.”

According to Reznikov, the instructors will announce the completion of training when they see that Ukrainian pilots, engineers and technicians are acquiring new skills.

The F-16 training program is supported by a coalition of 11 NATO countries, which also includes Romania, and requires official US approval because the aircraft are American-made.

The United States has approved sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands to defend against Russian invaders as soon as pilot training is completed, a US official said on Thursday, according to Reuters.