The Netherlands delivered the first five F-16 fighter jets to Fetesti Air Base in Romania where Ukrainian pilots will train with other pilots from NATO countries. The training is expected to take five to nine months, according to Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder. The aircraft provided for the training will remain property of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

Entering service with the U.S. Air Force in 1978 during the cold war, the F-16 is the primary fighter aircraft for many NATO countries. With the Netherlands replacing their aging F-16 fleet with F-35 jets, they have committed to providing surplus F-16s Ukraine. The Ukrainian military request for advanced AMRAAM air-to-air missiles to use with the F-16s provided by NATO countries was confirmed by the Pentagon despite concerns with the risk of the highly sensitive technology in those weapons systems being captured by Russian forces in Ukraine. Their request has not been confirmed.